My Only Desire
by x.imagine.x
Summary: "The entirety of my schooling culminated in the one year that truly changed everything. It forced me to reconsider preconceived notions, and to discover a lot about myself I hadn't fully understood before. It was my final year at Hogwarts, the final year before the rest of my life began and, though I wouldn't admit it to anyone, I was terrified." Prequel to His Only Daughter
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok, so this is the prequel to His Only Daughter, and although I wrote that one first, this one can be read first without any confusion. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter at all. I'm not even British. I don't even know if British is supposed to be capitalized… I swear!**

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**My Only Desire**

We met in first year. He was just as arrogant as my father said he would be, with his blonde hair slicked back in a perfect imitation of Draco during _his_ first year, an air of superiority hanging lazily about him, as though it were his Merlin-given right. It made my stomach churn with something close to disgust, and we hadn't even been properly introduced. I had no desire to correct that oversight back then, though I guess he had other thoughts.

_I came across a group of five Slytherins -first years- outside the Potions room. It wasn't a rare occurrence; they all seemed to travel in packs with their heads held high. It was apparently tradition to put Slytherins and Gryffindors together in first year potions at Hogwarts. Among the throng of sneering Slytherins, I spotted a white-blond head with slicked back hair. Despite myself, I was curious. I'd only glimpsed Scorpius Malfoy a couple of times since arriving at school. To all extents, I'd seen all I needed to in order to realize he was exactly as my father told me, yet I had this inexplicable feeling that there was more beneath the surface. Well, as much more as there can be at age 11._

_I was about to find out, as my thoughts were shattered by a cold drawl. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."_

_I immediately looked away, blushing furiously. I hadn't realized I was staring so obviously. I hoped he would leave me to my mortification in peace._

_Of course, that couldn't happen. He stepped closer, away from the group. They looked on in mild curiosity. "Let's see… Red hair, stack of books bigger than you can carry, fifteen minutes early for class… You must be Rose Weasley."_

_I frowned half in surprise and half in anger. I didn't point out that he was _also_ fifteen minutes early for class as I retorted, "Let me see… blonde, slicked-back, greasy hair, arrogance and superiority oozing off you. You must be Scorpius Malfoy."_

So it wasn't exactly a conventional introduction, nor was it very creative on my part, but give me some credit. I was only 11. Needless to say, our relationship progressed steadily into hostility from there, and we finished first year in a place that was very comfortable for both of us: mutual dislike. We didn't go out of our way to antagonize each other, instead opting to go the route of mutual avoidance. We ignored each other as much as possible, and when forced to interact, spoke in short, clipped sentences littered with insults.

One good thing did come out of meeting Scorpius Malfoy. I met one of my best friends straight after: Emily Longworth. She approached shortly after Scorpius and I 'met', and I gratefully partook in the conversation she started. We got on very well, and when Dominique finally joined us, I was pleased to find that the three of us fit together quite nicely. Albus ran into class late with a boy that I thought I recognized as a fellow Gryffindor. I found out later that he was called Ben Thomas.

Since it was two to a table, there was an open seat next to Emily which Ben slipped into at Albus's insistence. This left Albus to sit next to the last person I could possibly wish upon him: Scorpius Malfoy. I could tell from the way they looked at each other that they had probably already met, and Albus's impression of the boy was much similar to mine. Professor Klipper interrupted any remaining chatter and began the lesson before I could dwell on it further.

Imagine my horror when, at the end of the first month of classes, I caught a glimpse of Albus and Scorpius _laughing_ together. At least Al had the decency to appear guilty when I confronted him about it afterwards.

"_What's going on with you and Malfoy?" I snapped, hands on my hips, causing him to stop shoving his feet into the shoes he'd kicked off earlier. I didn't realize at the time that I was making it sound as though he were having an affair. Al's cheeks tinted pink as he tried to brush it off._

"_Nothing, Rose. We're Potions partners. Not by choice, either."_

_I snorted, "Yeah, it sure looked like you were having a rough go of it today."_

"_Well the way I figure, I might as well make good of something that I thought was bad. He's not that bad of a person. Really," He replied, his voice still meek. _

"_Are you serious? This is _Malfoy_ we're talking about, Al! He's vile!"_

_I can't say what did it exactly, but for the first time since I'd known him, Albus Potter bristled. "What proof do you have of that?"_

_Surprised at the change, I faltered for a moment. "Well, he's rude to everyone."_

"_He's not rude to me," Albus snapped, drawing himself up to his full height, which was suddenly taller than me. "Well, he was at first, but you just have to get past it. He's not half bad."_

"_Are you crazy? Do I need to write your Mum and Dad and ask that they have you committed to St. Mungo's?"_

"_Whatever, Rose. You have your opinions and I have mine. We'll just have to agree to disagree," He sighed, never one for prolonged conflict._

_Angered at the loss of steam his words brought, I huffed, "Yes, I suppose we will." _

Despite our decision to 'agree to disagree', I refused to speak with Albus for the first two months of his budding 'partnership' with Malfoy. Instead, I grew closer with Dominique and Emily. Disheartened as I was at the distance between myself and Albus, who had been my best friend, I was glad to have them with me, even if we weren't yet as close as Al and I had been.

The year wore on, as did our separation. Albus and Scorpius were seated next to each other in any classes we shared due to their last names being close together in the alphabet. They continued to grow closer, while Scorpius and I continued to grow more hostile towards one another. Not only did our 'introduction' stick in my mind, but I also now resented his stealing my best friend. I wasn't sure what had gotten into Albus to so blatantly go against the grain of normality. It wasn't like him. However, as much disapproval as James, Fred, Dominique, Lucy, and I (James, Fred, and Lucy being in second year while we were in first) expressed towards him, he didn't seem to care. He always told us the same thing: _"Names mean nothing. Scorpius is my friend, whether you like it or not."_

Time wore on, and Christmas break came faster than any of us had anticipated. With the return to the Burrow came the realization of just how far apart Albus and I had grown. Usually, we were inseparable, always running everywhere together. This year, I sat quietly in one corner with Dominique while he sat quietly in the other with a book. The adults noticed our separation, but didn't comment on it until later that evening, when everyone had parted for the night. Apparently, we both had the same response:

"_He's being unreasonable!"_

"_She's being unreasonable!"_

We were stubborn children.

And so the fight raged on. We only spoke to greet each other or nod for the rest of the year, and by this time it absolutely killed me. Although I was glad that I was growing closer to Dominique and Emily, the gaping hole in my life where Albus used to be was always present. I missed my best friend.

Over the summer break, I was finally fed up with not speaking to him, and decided to be the bigger person.

"_Look, I may have overreacted a little, and that may not have been fair."_

_Albus raised one eyebrow, something I wished I could do. "Is that you saying sorry?"_

_Pink coloured my cheeks. "Yes."_

"_Ok!"_

_And just like that we were best friends again._

Over summer we grew closer once more, though I retained my newfound friendships. When we returned to school for our second year, Albus and Scorpius picked right back up where they left off, quickly becoming known around the school as a kind of dynamic duo. The family and I remained frustrated with it, but the experience of the previous year taught me not to comment. I refused to talk to him while Scorpius was present, though.

"_No, Al. You have to swish and flick. Remember to flick," I sighed, guiding his hand once again in the motion to cast the Wingardium Leviosa charm. Though we were only revising what we learned in first year, Al was still struggling. Charms was the one subject he had trouble with, surprisingly. Given his father and brother's performance in Potions, everyone assumed that would be his downfall as well, yet he and Malfoy seemed to make the perfect team. Albus was always annoyed with people's assumptions, loudly complaining that he _wasn't_ his father, nor his brother. My only guess as to why Albus was suddenly much more vocal about these worries was the influence of Malfoy. Everyone in the school knew exactly what Malfoy thought exactly when he thought it._

"_Hey, Al, you done with the keener?" _

_Speak of the devil. I turned my head to frown in Malfoy's direction. "As a matter of fact-"_

"_Yep," Albus cut me off, popping the 'p'. He'd told me when we first met that he and Malfoy would be going off to practice for Quidditch tryouts after we finished._

"_Wait a minute-" I snapped, knowing full well he hadn't even practiced the charm yet, so he didn't know if he was done. And I wasn't a keener. _

"_Swish and flick. I got it, Rose," He said, cutting me off again. "See you later."_

_I frowned after them, fuming at his abrupt departure. Malfoy always came first._

If it was any comfort, they both made the Quidditch teams, so the interruption was worth it. The addition of 'Hot-shot Quidditch Player' to their reputations only increased their popularity and the size of Malfoy's head. Sadly, it also increased the size of Albus's. I began to see the disappearance of my shy, soft-spoken cousin in favour of a loud, boisterous, attention-grabbing boy. He wasn't as egotistical as Malfoy by any means, but it still bothered me that his hanging round the arrogant kid resulted in his own head blowing up.

As second year transformed into third year, and proceeded right into fourth, Scorpius and Albus took their relationship to a whole new level. Yes, it was time to meet the parents.

"_Hi, Aunt Ginny! Is Al upstairs?" I asked, stepping out of the fireplace at the Potters' house on the hottest July day we'd had yet. _

"_Sure is, Rose."_

_Grinning, I took the steps two at a time. I loved the summer months almost as much as my time at Hogwarts. Why? Because Malfoy was far far away._

"_Hey, Al-" _

_Or, that is, he _was_ far far away. Until he ended up on the floor of Albus Potter's room._

"_What are _you_ doing here?" I sneered, recovering from the shock of seeing Malfoy rather quickly._

"_Could ask you the same question," He replied in his signature drawl, leaning back against Albus's bed. _

"_Well, I was _going_ to see if Albus wanted to hang out, but I think I've changed my mind."_

_Albus sighed. "Come on, Rose. We can still hang out."_

_I gave him as much of a withering look as a fourteen year old can before departing. _

During fourth year, things started to change. No, I did not fall suddenly in love with Scorpius. I just noticed that he'd… started developing. His long, lanky arms filled out, forming killer biceps that the vast majority of the female population at school swooned over (That included Dom. Her excuse was that he was one of the only 'Hogwarts Hunks' she wasn't related to). His shoulders broadened and he shot up about two feet. Damn Quidditch. The same thing happened to Al, though I didn't take as much notice since he's, you know, my _cousin_. The point is that I wasn't the only one to notice, and the entire school aren't Albus's cousins, so Scorpius wasn't the only one getting the attention.

"_Oh Merlin, have you seen Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy?" Alberta Corner asked in a not-so-quiet whisper. It was the first day of classes of fourth year and the girl still hadn't mastered the art of talking quietly._

"_Have I ever," her friend Daileen replied, breathless. "I'm so glad Albus is taking after James…"_

_I turned away in disgust, not wanting to listen to them gossip about someone related to me. _

Over the year, the standard mutual dislike between Malfoy and I continued on. I learned later from Albus that he had gone to Malfoy Manor shortly after Scorpius's visit to Potter Manor.

"_You actually went over there?" I asked, appalled, yet fascinated despite myself. _

"_Yes, I'll have you know, I did. It's not that big of a deal."_

"_Not that big of a deal? You went to Malfoy Manor. Malfoy Manor, Al."_

"_So?" Albus asked defensively. _

"_It's Malfoy Manor."_

"_So you've said. Look, Rose, I don't know why you keep making such a big deal of this. Hogwarts isn't like it used to be. Gryffindors don't always have to hate Slytherins. Stop being so prejudiced."_

_The conversation ended there._

Albus and I didn't speak of anything Scorpius related for a long while after that. I guess both of us sensed the underlying tension the subject brought about. Neither of us acknowledged it, of course, refusing to be the first one to bring it up. Our parents, or rather my father, didn't seem to have such reservations.

"_Harry, I honestly don't know why you let him into your home in the first place. He's a Malfoy! The spawn of Draco! Or have you forgotten that?" My dad 'whispered' in that way of his. I paused outside the kitchen door, knowing full well I wasn't supposed to eavesdrop, but as soon as I'd heard the name Malfoy I couldn't resist. _

"_I was thinking that everybody deserves a chance. It doesn't matter who his father is."_

"_Well it kind of does, considering Malfoy's the one raising him."_

"_Ron, from what I've heard, Draco's changed quite a bit since we last spoke. In case _you've_ forgotten, it's been about 22 years since we exchanged more than a nod in the hallway. We hardly know the man anymore, nor do we know his son."_

"_People like Malfoy don't change. Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater! Have you forgotten he's tried to kill us? More than once!"_

"_Draco could hardly be considered a Death Eater, Ron. We were young at the time. He had no choice," Uncle Harry said firmly, in a tone that suggested the argument was over, and I figured my dad must have opened his mouth to protest some more, because Uncle Harry voiced the implication, "I'm not having this discussion with you, Ron. Whom Albus is friends with is really none of my business to judge, and he's actually a nice boy."_

I couldn't see what Uncle Harry saw in Scorpius exactly. I always saw an arrogant prick that had a head far too big for his shoulders, not any form of a 'nice boy'. Well, except for those rare moments that I caught him smiling or laughing with Albus or Gage McDonnell, one of his Slytherin dorm mates. Outside of those privileged two, Scorpius was about as egotistical as they come to pretty much everyone. It doesn't say much about the girls at our school that they all swooned over his attitude. I swear, the only one in our year that could give him a run for his money on female admirers was Albus, and that was _not_ a good thing. At least Albus wasn't as quick to take advantage of it.

Fifth year brought with it the arrival of a prefect's badge and uncontained pride on my parents' parts. It was a bit embarrassing really, but I was used to it by then.

_After I finally rid myself of my beaming parents at the platform, I found Emily and Dom. Emily was thoroughly unsurprised at the badge pinned to my robes, and Dom already knew, since my father had immediately owled every family member after I'd gotten it. _

_After we found a compartment and stashed our trunks, I left them to head to the prefect's carriage, my stomach knotted in anticipation. I couldn't help but wonder who my fellow prefects would be. Albus wasn't one of them, we already knew that. I just hoped they were actually serious about the job, not someone like-_

_Malfoy. Sitting in the prefect's carriage, leaning lazily against the window. _

"_I think you're in the wrong compartment, Malfoy," I said after recovering from the shock of seeing him there._

_A grin formed on his lips as he appraised me, his gaze making me squirm slightly, though I'd never show it. "No, I don't believe I am."_

"_This is the Prefect's compartment," I pointed out, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, which it was._

_Malfoy looked around, adopting a fake-confused expression, "Really? I didn't know that! Thank you for pointing it out, Weasley. At least I don't have to go find it so I can make the meeting now."_

_I had just felt the beginnings of smugness when his words fully registered. He must have seen the change in my facial expression because his grin widened and he gestured to the badge pinned neatly to his shirt._

"_You- You're a Prefect?" I spluttered, my face reddening. How did this happen? How could someone possibly pick Malfoy as a Prefect? How is he a good role model at all? There was no time for further conversation as the rest of the Prefects, including James as a sixth year, and Ben Thomas as my fellow Gryffindor fifth year Prefect, trickled into the compartment._

Luckily, the structure of patrols that year meant that we didn't have to wander around the castle together.

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**A/N: Ok, so it took me an unbelievably long time to write this. Before I start posting this story (since I suck at keeping constant updates and it takes me like a year to write a story, if I even finish it) I tried to get a really large head start on it so I don't have to make you guys wait for a long time between updates. I also apologize for any inconsistencies in the school year they'd be in. I originally wrote it with them in sixth year, but decided at the last minute to change it to seventh, but then half of it didn't work so it turned into a big mess and I hope I fixed it correctly. Hopefully it works! Reviews are love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter! We're in the summer before sixth year.**

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**Chapter 2**

Scorpius and I continued our hostility right through to Uncle Harry's birthday dinner the summer before sixth year. It was the first time Al invited Scorpius, and I can't say I was too pleased with it. However, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't very well say anything about it. I'd just have to grin and bear it.

"_Alright, let's go! Mum'll have a fit if we're late," Aunt Ginny interrupted, herding us all towards the fireplace. James appeared with a 'pop' behind Ginny, causing her to jump about a foot in the air. She turned to scold her son, who had just turned 17 last month, but he merely grinned at us before waving, turning on the spot, and disappearing again with another 'pop'. "I swear to Merlin…" Aunt Ginny muttered, turning back around to turn her attention to us._

"_He's been doing that all summer. It was funny at first, but then he started doing it to me, too," Al told us in an undertone as Aunt Ginny and my mum started ushering Lily and Hugo into the fireplace, "Bit annoying, really."_

_I smirked, remembering the one time James had 'popped in' while I was visiting Al. I swear, the kid jumped three feet in the air and screamed like a girl. It was hilarious._

_The moment I arrived, I headed for the kitchen, knowing that was where Grandma would be. As soon as she saw me, she bustled over to wrap her arms around me tightly, causing the breath to whoosh out of me, but I didn't mind. I returned the hug, smiling widely. I loved Grandma Weasley. After me, every other Potter and Weasley child lined up to have the air sucked out of them in one of the very same bone-crushing hugs she'd given me. Even though Albus complained, we all knew he loved Grandma's hugs just as much as the rest of us._

_After the hugs had been issued, Al having been the last to receive one, we started to separate when Grandma spotted Scorpius hanging back at the fringe of the group, hands shoved in his pockets awkwardly. She smiled warmly, walking through the group in her regular, hurried steps, spreading her arms wide when she reached him._

"_Scorpius dear, so good to see you again," She exclaimed, wrapping him in a tight hug as well. He looked surprised for a moment, as did I, I'm sure. It wasn't the first time Scorpius had come to the Burrow, but it was certainly the first time I'd seen him welcomed so warmly. Although, I guess I hadn't really stuck around to see him welcomed before. _

_Dom and I spent the rest of the time before dinner outside talking about a lot of trivial things. Once the call came for dinner, we headed to join the cluster of people that was normal for our family. I smiled as I surveyed the chaos. It was fun, sometimes, to watch it all unfold. I took my seat and glanced up only to have the smile drop off my face. I was staring right into the eyes of Scorpius Malfoy. _

_Great. The table was probably a mile long, and I happened to pick the seat across from Malfoy. Or maybe he picked the one across from me? Whichever way it went, we were seated across from each other, and I wasn't happy about it. Seeing him across from me was almost enough to make me lose my appetite. _

_A throat cleared loudly, and I looked up to see Albus giving me an exasperated yet pleading look. I rolled my eyes, having seen that look before. He should know by now that I was not about to put on a smile for Malfoy. Not even close._

_I had just taken a huge swig of my juice when Scorpius spoke up. "So, Weasley, what exactly are you hiding under that shirt of yours?"_

_I choked on my juice almost immediately, definitely not expecting his question. Dom smacked me on the back, looking alarmed, until I regained my composure enough to retort, "Wouldn't you like to know."_

_He smirked suggestively and I allowed a shudder of disgust to course through my body. The smirk only widened. _

"_You're disgusting," I muttered, pushing food around on my plate._

_He shrugged, "You're the one who brought it up."_

_My temper flared, "Actually-"_

"_Guys!" Albus interrupted, annoyance colouring his tone, "Stop it! Merlin, I've had about enough of you two."_

"_Don't look at me," I snapped defensively. How could Al possibly blame me for any of this? It was obviously his best mate being a prat that started it all._

"_Oh lay off, Rose. You're not innocent in this. You two are always at each other's throats. Just bloody cut it out already."_

_My cheeks flushed in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. I was sure most of the kids were staring at us by now. Scorpius muttered a 'sorry' before the two boys were back to grinning and shoving each other like kids. I rolled my eyes again. They were so immature._

All of this brings us to the turning point in our relationship, that very same night.

"_Rose, can I have a word?" Albus asked, startling me a little. _

_I turned from the kitchen sink, a wry smile twisting my lips. "You can have several."_

_His lips didn't even twitch. "Seriously, Rose, this has got to stop. It's gone on long enough. You need to stop overreacting to everything he says. He doesn't mean it to offend you. It's just how he is."_

_I clenched my jaw, not knowing what to say to his perfectly reasonable request. To be honest, Scorpius hadn't technically insulted me in about a year. We just traded barbs and irritated each other. There shouldn't be a reason for me to so strongly dislike him, besides the obvious of him being a total player. Though, I guess I couldn't dislike him based solely on that. Yes, I probably overreacted, although I would never admit to conceding that point. _

"_Can't you just give him a chance? Do you really think so poorly of my judgement to believe I'm lying when I say he's a good guy?"_

_Still with the silence. My brain whirled trying to come up with something concrete that I could use against him, but it came up blank._

"_Please, just try to be nice, for me?" He pleaded._

_I looked to the Quidditch pitch, where our cousins almost had the teams sorted, and back at Albus, sighing noisily. "I will if he does."_

And so I swallowed my pride for the sake of my best friend.

And, of course, because he's Albus, and he takes a mile when you give him an inch, he thought it would be good for our 'truce' if Scorpius and I were pushed together as much as humanly possible over the summer.

"_Al, I don't know what more you want from me. That's all I can do," I snapped tiredly as he opened his mouth. The rest of Uncle Harry's birthday supper had passed in relative silence from me. While not exactly what I imagined Albus had in mind, ignoring the bloke fell within the boundaries of my promise to be nice to him. I couldn't very well be mean if I wasn't speaking to him, now could I?_

"_I know, and I wanted to say thank you. Do you want to, um, come hang out tomorrow?" He asked, hope colouring his features. Seeing my hesitance, he rushed on, "It won't just be me and him. Ben and Gage are coming, too."_

_Gage McDonnell was a Slytherin in our year. You would think, given my intense dislike of Scorpius, I'd also have some sort of problem with Gage, but I didn't. I wasn't completely prejudiced against Slytherins, just Malfoys. _

_Finally, I caved to the hopeful look on my best friend's face. He really needed to stop doing that. "Fine. I'm supposed to hang out with Dom and Emily tomorrow. I'll see if they want to come."_

_Al grinned for what must have been the millionth time that day as I took a handful of floo powder. "Thanks, Rosie!"_

"_One condition."_

_His face fell. "What?"_

_I kept my face dead serious until the last second, allowing a grin as I said, "Stop calling me Rosie."_

_He chuckled. "Not a chance, Rosie."_

And so, I convinced the two of them to accompany me to Potter Manor for the day. Of course, they didn't really need convincing since, as they so readily pointed out, they didn't have unexplained grudges against Scorpius. They even forced me into a fitted top for the occasion instead of my regular baggy t-shirts. Dom was ecstatic that I'd finally caved after her years of trying to convince me to broaden my wardrobe. So I liked comfort, sue me.

"_So, what was up with you last night? You barely spoke to Scorpius after dinner, and you didn't snipe at each other like you usually do."_

_I studied my comforter as I mumbled, "Al asked us to call a truce."_

"_And you're going to? Just like that?" She asked, sounding doubtful._

"_I guess so."_

"_What makes this time different from all of the other millions of times he's asked?"_

_I hesitated before answering, trying to come up with the reason. Finally, I just had to settle on, "I'm not exactly sure."_

_Dom shrugged, taking that as a good enough answer, and started babbling about a shopping trip she was planning to take next week, and trying to convince me to come along. I vehemently refused, claiming a severe shopping allergy. I had no interest in repeating last year's trip she'd forced me on. She rolled her eyes at me good-naturedly. Thankfully, I was spared from further harassment by the sound of Emily's footsteps outside my door._

"_So, in continuing my truce with Malfoy, Albus asked if we wanted to go over there today and hang out. Gage and Ben will be there," I blurted out once she joined us. No going back now._

"_Two days in a row, Rose?" Dom asked, "I'm impressed."_

"_It's not that big of a deal," I muttered._

"_Um, it kind of is. This time last year, no, this time last week you would not be caught dead suggesting we do this," Emily contributed, brushing her medium-length, curly blonde hair behind a shoulder._

"_Well, I'm trying to give Al what he wants, ok?"_

_Dom held up her hands in surrender. "Ok, sorry. Let's go!"_

"_Seriously?" I asked, "You guys are actually ok with this?"_

_Em shrugged, "Why wouldn't we be?"_

_I bit back a defensive retort, recognizing that I really didn't have a legitimate one. "Ok, then. Let's go."_

_Emily sighed, "Hold up. You need to change first."_

_I frowned, "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"_

_Dominique replied, "That shirt is shapeless."_

_I crossed my arms in front of my chest defensively. "What's wrong with that?"_

_Emily turned back, clutching a hooded jumper that was a size too big for me, with an eyebrow raised. I really wished I could do that. "You actually have to ask?"_

"_I love that!" I protested as she hung it back in my closet and continued browsing. _

"_Case and point," Dom replied. _

"_We're just going to Albus's. I don't see what the big deal is. He's our cousin, Dom," I pointed out._

"_Yes, but Scorpius, Ben, and Gage are not our cousins."_

"_Doesn't mean I have to get dressed up for them. I really don't care what Malfoy thinks of me to be honest."_

"_Like you haven't made that clear enough already. It's not just Malfoy there."_

_I let it go with a sigh. Despite myself, I surveyed the other two. Dom wore skinny jeans, boots, and a sparkly gold top with a fitted jacket, while Emily was dressed in ripped jeans and a pink patterned top that flowed out. Looking down at myself, in my jeans and plain t-shirt, I realized they may have a point. Even though they were both just coming over here to hang out, they'd still made some sort of effort. Truthfully, when I was getting dressed this morning, I'd just grabbed the first shirt I saw. After what felt like forever, Em seemed satisfied with some shirt in the back of my closet and slipped it off its hangar, tossing it at me. I caught it quickly and grimaced. "No."_

"_No? Come on, it's cute!" _

"_No. Mum got this for me ages ago."_

"_And it's cute!"_

_The shirt in question was a charcoal gray, tight-fitted, strapless top. There were little embellishments under the bust. It wasn't my style._

_Seeing they wouldn't convince me to wear it, Em sighed and turned back to my closet. She settled on a plain charcoal grey tank top, just because she loved the colour so much. I protested that choice as well, but could see I would get nowhere this time. I would just have to deal with it riding up as it always did. I hadn't thought that one through when I'd bought it on last year's shopping trip. Luckily, they didn't comment on my ponytail and my jeans were deemed acceptable, so we were allowed to go._

_I stumbled out of the fireplace, graceful as always, and almost ran smack into Albus. _

"_Glad to see your balance has improved, Rosie," He said with a teasing smile. _

"_Sorry to see your face hasn't," I retorted easily, before a snort of laughter brought it to my attention that we weren't alone. Scorpius was standing across the room, leaning against the doorframe._

"_Malfoy," I nodded in his direction, remembering my truce agreement._

"_Weasley," He returned my nod. Albus looked pleased that we were still being civil. _

_Anything else we might have said was interrupted by the arrival of Dom, who stepped gracefully out of the fireplace. _

"_See, Rosie, that's how you do it," Albus grinned._

"_I thought we agreed you weren't going to call me that."_

"_Nope. I remember no such agreement."_

_At that precise moment, Emily emerged, and Scorpius started out of the room, the rest of us following suit._

After all was said and done, I realized it really wasn't that difficult for Scorpius and I to be cordial to one another. It was also startling to see the guys' reactions to my fitted top. They looked almost shocked that yes, I do have curves.

Of course, the most interesting part of the afternoon occurred right as we were leaving.

_As we were heading toward the fireplace to head back to my house, we caught James bounding down the stairs. Usually, he would just continue on his way, but he suddenly stopped short. _

"_Hey," He said, grinning. I frowned. That was the smile he pulled out when he wanted to charm someone. Out of the three of us girls, two were related to him, and I was sure he hadn't switched teams without notifying us, so that left one possibility. I turned behind me to confirm, and wasn't disappointed. Emily smiled back politely along with Dom, who also looked slightly confused at his sudden desire to be polite. I grinned, turning back to James and giving him a look that clearly said "you're not subtle." His cheeks tinted slightly pink as he caught my gaze, and he promptly excused himself, pausing only to glance back once before almost running straight into the doorframe. I snorted, only getting more confused looks as I stepped into the fireplace._

_Emily left as soon as we got back, and I was left to be cornered by Dom. _

"_What was up with James?" She asked as she studied her nails. I could tell it was just a lead-in to what she actually wanted to say._

_I grinned, "Isn't it obvious? He was totally staring at Em."_

"_Seriously?!"_

"_You didn't notice?"_

"_No! OHMIGOD that is so awesome!" I swear Dom didn't even take a breath between the sentences._

"_Dom, you know how James is, and he was just looking at her. It didn't mean anything necessarily."_

"_I guess," She conceded. "You know, none of those guys could take their eyes off you in that tank top," She pointed out after a brief pause, attempting subtlety. She was about as good at it as James. "Scorpius especially."_

_I rolled my eyes. "So? I basically just disproved his theory that I'm secretly a man. He's bound to be crushed."_

_Dom scoffed, "Oh please. Those were not 'damn all my hard work was just squashed' eyes; they were just 'damn' eyes."_

_It was my turn to scoff, "Please, Dom."_

"_It's true!"_

"_Don't you have somewhere to be? Like not here?" I finally asked, eliciting a cheeky grin from her. "Oh," I called out as she was halfway out my bedroom door, "Are you still, uh, planning on that shopping trip next week?" I finished, swallowing my pride._

_Her grin widened, "What about that allergy?"_

"_I found a potion that will make it bearable."_

_Dom only laughed, squealing in excitement at having finally convinced me to go shopping with her again. What had I gotten myself into?_

The shopping trip, despite my horrible expectations, turned out to be not so bad. Dom even went so far as to grab all of my old shirts (except for a select few of my favourites that she begrudgingly let me keep) and tie them into bags. I don't know where she took them, and she told me I never would. She always did love being over dramatic.

* * *

Nothing was mentioned about the Emily incident again until our trip to Diagon Alley, during which my suspicions were confirmed.

_Dom, Albus, and I walked at a leisurely pace through the winding Alley. James fell into step beside me as we passed the ice cream parlor, trying to look casual and failing. _

"_So, how are you three doing this fine day?" He asked after a moment of silence. I smirked. I knew exactly what this was about._

"_Oh we're alright. You?" I returned, barely containing my laughter._

"_Good, good," He answered and waited a beat before asking, "So, that blonde friend of yours-"_

"_Emily?" I supplied._

"_Yeah, Emily. How come I haven't seen her before?"_

"_You have definitely seen her before, James."_

_He looked taken aback. "What? When?"_

"_We've known each other since first year."_

_He was silent, obviously trying to puzzle out why he hadn't taken notice of her before._

"_Why do you ask?" I finally allowed myself the pleasure of his discomfort._

_I wasn't disappointed. "No reason…"_

"_You sure about that, brother?" Al joined in, grinning. He enjoyed any opportunity to watch James squirm._

_James's cheeks tinted pink. He, Albus, and I were the only three in the family who hadn't inherited the 'Weasley Blush,' a fact that Dominique was eternally jealous of._

"_You know what? Why don't you just shove off?" He muttered defensively. "I have to go meet Fred."_

_As he departed, I started laughing, with Al and Dominique joining in. _

"_Where did your brother inherit his amazing subtlety?" Dom asked, still giggling._

"_From Uncle Ron I imagine," Al muttered, staring after his older brother with an unexplained look in his eye._

The rest of the summer flew by, and soon we were boarding the Hogwarts express. James, ever the role model, made Head Boy, and wasn't hesitant to use his authority to show off.

"_Hey, remember, Prefect's Carriage soon as the train leaves, Rosie!" James called to me, and then paused to smile at Emily before hurrying away again._

James showed up five minutes late for the meeting, the prat.

Sixth year seemed to fly by. Dominique's make-over garnered a lot of male attention from the second I stepped on the platform. At first, the lingering double-takes made me uncomfortable, but once I got used to them, I decided I liked it. It was nice to be looked at the way Dom was. Of course, I really didn't expect anything to come of the make-over.

"_So the whole school's at the Halloween feast, and Rose Weasley sits alone in the library."_

_I looked up at the vaguely familiar voice, staring straight into the green eyes of Adrian Davies, a Ravenclaw in my year. Adrian was almost as notorious for his many women as Scorpius was, meaning he was completely attractive._

"_Adrian, right?" I asked, trying to appear nonchalant. In all honesty, my two short-term relationships had not prepared me for this kind of conversation with this kind of guy._

_He looked slightly put out that I had to clarify, which I decided I liked. It was fun, catching him off guard. A guy like Adrian was used to having girls worship at his feet, much like Scorpius. Maybe it would be good to knock him down a few pegs._

From then on out, I could not shake Adrian Davies, no matter how hard I tried. Finally, I broke down and accepted his fifth offer to go out with him, mainly just to shut him up. Once he spent more time with me, there was no way he'd want a second date. It was by far the easiest solution to the problem. Of course, Dom and Emily saw no problem. It was, after all, Adrian Davies.

"_Oh, come off it Rose, it's one date. With Adrian Davies. You can't _not_ be excited about it. This is the dream of so many of the female population, and you get to live it!" Dom gushed._

_I scoffed. "Right."_

"_Seriously, just give him a chance. He might surprise you," Emily added, a small smile on her face. _

"_Who are we talking about?" Albus asked, dropping into the seat next to me. I grimaced. I'd been trying to keep my date quiet._

"_Rose is going on the next Hogsmeade trip with Adrian," Dom supplied, grinning._

"_Adrian Davies?" Al clarified, looking horror-struck._

"_Yes, Adrian Davies, Albus. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked, bristling at the overprotective look that had taken residence upon his face._

"_I just don't know if he's the right sort for you, that's all," He hedged._

"_Oh really? Is that so? Well, maybe I don't really care what you think. I don't need a bodyguard, Al," I snapped, standing and heading for the dormitory._

"_Nice work, cousin," I heard Dominique say cheerily behind me, "Before you came along she was actually considering calling it off."_

As cliché as this will sound, there actually was more the Adrian than met the eye. Despite my expectations, the date went well, and he surprised me by wanting a second, third, and so on. Even more surprising, I wanted to get to know him just as much as he wanted to know me. He made me giddy, and that was a feeling I had yet to experience. Adrian was my first long-term relationship, my first love, and some firsts I'd care not to mention. A girl does need some privacy, after all.

Even more surprising to some than my unexpected relationship was that Scorpius and I remained cordial to each other throughout the year. There was minimal sniping back and forth, mainly just a lot of ignoring each other, but by the end of the year we had developed a sort of civil rapport. Friendly, but not friends. I would not be friends with Scorpius. I would be nice to him for Albus's sake. I would put up with his presence. I would not be friends with him.

Although, I also said I wasn't going to ever be nice to him, either.

* * *

The entirety of my schooling culminated in the one year that truly changed everything. It forced me to once again reconsider preconceived notions, and to discover a lot about myself I hadn't fully understood before. It was my final year at Hogwarts, the final year before the rest of my life began and, though I wouldn't admit it to anyone, I was terrified. I knew what was expected of me, as the eldest child of Hermione and Ronald Weasley, but I also knew what the reality of the situation was: I had no idea what I actually wanted to do with my life. My parents expected me to go into some branch of the Ministry or an equally respectable profession, of course, but did I really want that? My one desire in life was to be happy and to do that I needed to live up to my potential, but what did that mean, exactly?

I'd spent a long summer alone, considering all of my possible options. Nothing Dom or Emily tried could get me out of my funk. That kind of thing happens when your boyfriend dumps you under the pretense of a need to _re-evaluate_ over the summer break. I, being Rose Weasley, didn't let it affect me. Instead, I threw myself into as much career research as possible. Trying to determine what one wanted to do with the rest of their lives at 17 was a daunting task, to say the least. I had no idea how everyone else had it all figured out. Albus was going to be an Auror, just like Uncle Harry, Dominique was going to open a boutique in Diagon Alley designing her own clothes. Even James and Fred had decided to take on internships under Dad and Uncle George in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes straight after Hogwarts. The eventual goal was to have James and Fred run the Hogsmede location Uncle George had opened a few years back. Everyone had it all figured out, except for me. Strange that I was the one everyone assumed had it all together, and yet I was the only one with pieces of my puzzle missing. The only thing I wanted to have figured out was the one thing I couldn't decide upon. I desperately wanted someone to tell me what to do, but I knew that wouldn't solve my problem. Instead, after a long month of trying to sort it all out, I finally decided to take a break and head over to Albus's. It was the night of Uncle Harry's family birthday dinner, and it was tradition that I make an appearance at Potter Manor beforehand. It would be good for me to engage in some normalcy.

This year I was 17, and as such, I could apparate outside the front door instead of using Floo powder. I much preferred apparition over Flooing.

"Hey, Rosie!" A loud pop caused me to jump about a foot in the air. Instead of answering the door like a normal person, Albus chose to apparate outside it after I knocked. He was more like his brother than he cared to admit.

"I swear to Merlin, if you don't quit that-" My threat was cut off mid-sentence by another 'pop' signalling Albus's disappearance. Angered, I turned the doorknob and entered the house. Stupid idiot complained about his brother doing it and then what does he do all bloody summer?

I expected to see my cousin just inside the door, but of course, that would be too easy. Instead, I was left to climb the stairs to his room and knock on the bedroom door. Albus and I had learned at a young age that knocking was essential.

The door started to swing open, and I prepared a look of annoyance on my features. Until the person on the other side of it was revealed, that is.

It wasn't Albus. It was Scorpius Malfoy, and he was shirtless.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so this was originally completely different, but I felt like starting in sixth year would waste far too much time, and it would be better to just go over the highlights instead.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. Al had never invited Scorpius for the annual family dinner before last year, yet here he was again, this time shirtless. I didn't mean to stare, but I couldn't help it. Did I mention he was shirtless? As in he wasn't wearing a shirt. Meaning his very sculpted chest was very visible. I'd never seen Scorpius shirtless before, and as much as I hated to admit it, he looked _good._ Hiding underneath his shirt was the most toned set of abs I'd ever seen, as embarrassing as it was to realize. Of course, I would never tell anyone that. Ever.

"See something you like, Weasley?" His smooth voice interrupted my thoughts, sending my cheeks into a slight flush of embarrassment at being caught.

"Not even a little, Malfoy," I retorted, resolutely fixing my gaze on the wall just behind him. I couldn't trust my eyes not to wander.

"I didn't know you had legs," He replied. I glanced down, remembering that I was dressed only in a baggy t-shirt that hung down to expose the very tips of denim shorts too late. However, rather than the sniping tone the exchange would have taken on last year, we were actually almost joking around. Almost. It still held an underlying tension of our years spent in conflict.

Whatever I was about to say (and I wasn't entirely sure what that was) was cut off by Albus's head poking around from behind Scorpius. He grinned when he saw me, shaking hair that I now noticed was damp out of his eyes as he greeted me. I also noticed that he, too, was now shirtless, as though in the process of changing. Which, I realized, he probably was. The dinner had to be starting soon, and Al wouldn't want to appear anything less than perfect for it, as usual. Come to think of it, Scorpius had probably been here overnight, or at least all day, meaning they'd found something to get into that left them dirty and thoroughly unpresentable, which meant they both had to shower and prance about shirtless like guys do.

"Well don't just stand there, Rosie," Al said, still grinning widely as he stepped back, pulling Scorpius with him, "Come in."

Malfoy echoed the invitation in what I assumed he considered his 'seductive voice,' (when had his voice gotten so deep, exactly?) and I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted was to go inside a room with Albus while Scorpius was there and they were both shirtless. I still had my limits to how much I could take, and that just screamed uncomfortable. "Uh, no thanks, Al. I just came up to see if you knew where Dom was?"

Albus shrugged as Scorpius disappeared behind the door. "I dunno. I think she's flitting about somewhere. Probably off gossiping with Lucy."

I smiled, thanking him before continuing up the stairs to the third level of the Manor. There was a sitting room up there that had huge bay windows overlooking the vast fields behind it. Dominique, Albus, and I loved it up there. A bit weird, considering Dom and I didn't live at Potter Manor, what with us not being Potters and all, but I spent enough time here with Al that it might as well be my home, too, and Dom just made any place she went her home.

I found them exactly where I'd expected to: sitting on either end of one of the ginormous window seats, giggling in their usual way.

Smiling to myself, I made my way over to them. Dom shrieked and ran, giggling, to hug me. I returned the hug, laughing to myself at her exuberance. It was one of the things I loved about her. I'd just seen her a couple of days ago, and yet she acted like we hadn't seen each other in a month. Lucy, always more subdued than Dom, grinned at me as we exchanged a brief, one-armed hug. I had never been as close to Lucy as I was to Dom, or even as close to her as Dom was. Maybe it was because Lucy had been a year ahead of us and, therefore, 'ran in different circles' than us, or maybe it was just because Lucy shared Dom's love of fashion and appearances, whereas I couldn't care less.

I sat down in one of the plush armchairs across from Dom and Lucy, bracing myself for the inevitable. As Dom and Lucy continued to giggle over Mitchell Trieger, Lucy's latest boyfriend, I stared out the window, not paying much attention until the conversation shifted to who Dom should go for this year. It took all of my self-control not to scoff at Dom's doubt over whether she could get Reese Abbott, a Hufflepuff in our year. Dom was so gorgeous that she could have any guy she wanted. Well, except for her cousins and Scorpius. For some reason, he never gave her the time of day, and she never asked. She was always the first one to bring up his attractiveness, yet she'd never actually gone for him. It confused me. With her long, white-blond hair that had the signature Veela sparkle, and her perfectly proportioned body, it was a mystery as to why Scorpius didn't leer after her like he did almost every other girl.

I refocused my attention on following the conversation at hand. Luckily for me, they'd just started a new topic, so I didn't have to catch up. Unluckily for me, it centered on the emergence of a pair of boys from the house.

Dom sighed as she looked down at the field below. "Wow. Scorpius has definitely gotten so much more… Mmmm," She said, grinning. "Oh, come on, Rose. You have to admit, he is fiiiine."

I nodded in agreement before I even thought about my answer and realized the slip as Dom's eyes widened. Whoops.

"Ok, so maybe he's a little attractive," I conceded as Dom squealed.

"A little?" Lucy asked in disbelief. "If I was still in school… I would be all over him."

"Oh, I'm sure he'd be willing to give a graduate a try," I replied without thinking. Lucy and Dom laughed, agreeing with me.

We lapsed into silence as the two girls watched Albus and Scorpius do whatever it was they were doing; I was too far away to see.

Dom gave another lustful sigh. "Man, I wish he would take off his shirt. It should be a rule that all men have to walk about shirtless."

I couldn't stop myself before I blurted out, "If Scorpius Malfoy walks around shirtless it'll reduce half the female population to mush."

Dom laughed before the meaning of what I'd said sunk in and she stopped abruptly, whipping her head around to stare at me. "Wait, you've seen him shirtless?"

I sunk down in my seat, flushed red as I admitted, "I knocked on Al's door on the way up here and Malfoy answered."

"Shirtless?"

"No, wearing a parka. What do you think?" I snapped.

"What was it like?" She asked eagerly, ignoring my sarcasm.

"What kind of question is that, Dom?"

"A kind of question I want answered. In detail," she answered, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

I crossed my arms resolutely. "No way. I am not gossiping with you about Malfoy of all people."

Both girls pouted but seemed to recognize a lost cause when they saw one. Luckily, a search for a new topic wasn't needed because Lily and Hugo stuck their heads around the door, telling us that it was nearly six. The three of us rose and followed our younger cousins (and brother, in my case) down the stairs and into the main room. For whatever reason, it had become tradition for my family and Dom, along with a random assortment of other family members depending on the year, to meet up at Potter Manor before the annual dinner, which actually took place at the Burrow. Why, I will never know. I figured it was something to do with Grandma Weasley's insistence at holding most, if not all, important family dinners, even though the Burrow was about one third the size of Potter Manor. Not to say Potter Manor was an elaborate place. It was only three floors, and a bit larger than the average Muggle house.

As we started down the stairs, Lily turned back to look at me. "I thought Dom threw all of those shirts out."

Thankfully, I'd managed to salvage a few from Dom's reign of terror, and told my younger cousin as much.

Dom recognized that Lily was going to say more on the subject, bless her, and quickly averted her attention by focusing on something behind me.

"Albus! Scorpius!"

The awkward silence that stretched between us as Dom faltered, realising she had nothing near exciting enough to exclaim after her big opening. Dom was awesome like that; she would totally embarrass herself just to take the spotlight off me.

"Dominique!" Al shouted back, making a joke out of the situation, though his face reflected his confusion.

"Why are we shouting?!" Scorpius joined in, looking just as confused, and more than a little amused. Lucy and Lily giggled while Dom smiled. Fighting a smile, I turned on the spot to apparate to the Burrow.

While others might scoff at it, calling it rundown, I thought it was charming. I liked homes that looked lived in, instead of exceptionally neat and tidy. I smiled, breathing in the scents of Grandma Weasley's cooking as I stepped over the threshold and heading to the kitchen.

After Grandma's round of hugs had been delivered, Dom grabbed my arm and tugged me outside after her. She was slightly claustrophobic, or at least that's what she always said, so she often took the first opportunity to flee the madness of Weasley family gatherings. I understood her point, though. Anyone with as much family as we had would always be a tad 'claustrophobic'. Don't get me wrong, I love my family; there's just so many of them.

"So," Dom started, grinning mischievously.

I groaned. "Dom, I am not talking about Malfoy."

Her face showed her disappointment clearly, even though she covered. "Who said I was going to ask about Scorpius? His shirtless form must have really made an impression if you're jumping to conclusions like this!"

"No, you're just an open book," I retorted, giving her a meaningful look and leaning against the garden fence. A gnome poked his head out from behind a tomato plant to stare up at us, but disappeared quickly when Dom spoke once again. Clearly, the hours James and Fred had spent de-gnoming the garden hadn't been effective. De-gnoming the garden was always the job us kids got handed as a sort of punishment. Luckily for us, no one outdid James and Fred in the grand scheme of things, so they almost always ended up doing it, even though they were now technically 18, and therefore one full year past the age where they should be subjected to punishments. However, they _were_ James and Fred, so it wasn't surprising.

"Fine," She pouted, leaning her back against the fence so she could look at me. "So do you think that I could get Reese Abbott? I know Lucy says I can, but she always says that."

"Dom, you know you could get whichever guy you wanted. You're gorgeous."

"Everyone says that. I feel like you're all just saying it to pump up my self-esteem."

"Don't be ridiculous. We tell you that because it's the truth."

Dom smiled gratefully at me, but whatever she was going to say next was cut off by Grandma Weasley's call to dinner. We headed in the direction of the huge table Uncle George and Dad had set up yesterday, Dom threading her arm through mine. I smiled as we headed to the side of the table the 'kids' always sat at, Dom squishing into the seat next to Lucy as I took the seat next to Dom.

I filled my plate, watching in disgust as Scorpius and Albus dumped heaping spoonfuls onto theirs, and then proceeded to shovel the food into their mouths as fast as humanly possible.

"What are you looking at?" Albus asked, noticing the disgust on my face, a forkful of mashed potatoes too large to possibly fit in his mouth frozen halfway there.

"The food isn't going anywhere, Al," I replied.

"Yes it is," he retorted, "Into my mouth." And he shoved the potatoes the rest of the way into his mouth. If I wasn't so disgusted, I would probably be impressed at the sheer talent it took to fit that much food into your mouth at once. Scorpius snorted into his own food, and I turned back to mine, suddenly reluctant to eat it. Just looking at it conjured images of Albus shoving potatoes into his mouth. It was enough to make me gag.

"So, have you heard anything about Head badges yet?" Lily asked me.

I shook my head. "Not yet. They're supposed to be delivered with our Hogwarts letters next week. Or, at least, that's what James told me."

"Yeah, after you asked him for the fiftieth time," Albus added in his two cents. My cheeks tinted pink.

"Where's Emily tonight?" Lucy asked, searching down the table to where James sat with Fred. Albus started once again shovelling food into his mouth at warp speed.

I shrugged. "She said she had some family thing."

In December of last year, James finally managed to convince Emily to go out with him. They'd been seeing a lot of each other before then to begin with (though just as friends, as Emily constantly insisted), so it really wasn't much of a surprise to anyone when they finally made it official in January. No one expected Emily and James to last as long as they have, though. Once he convinced her to go out with him, it was like something clicked. He became the polar opposite of everything he'd built his reputation on. He stopped flirting around and completely devoted himself to her. I was surprised, I'll admit. More than half the castle felt the same way to see such a transformation. I was wary of James's intentions at first, but he seemed to genuinely care for Emily, and that was all I could ask of him.

Dinner ended after what seemed like forever, and we all waited impatiently for Grandma Weasley to bring out the cake. Even though some of us (like Dom) wouldn't admit it, it was our favourite part.

When Grandma emerged, levitating the cake in front of her, all eyes turned to focus on her and the huge cake that she'd turned into a life-size model of a broomstick. I almost laughed at the effort she had to go through just to feed our huge family (and we weren't even all there), but the cake _did_ look magnificent. Albus was practically drooling at the sight of it, and James and Fred were whispering conspiratorially, probably debating the best way to get the biggest piece possible.

After a loud chorus of 'Happy Birthday' led mostly by the adults, the cake landed in front of Uncle Harry, who was situated almost in the middle of the table. At the precise moment that the song stopped and Uncle Harry tried to hide his embarrassment at being the center of attention (honestly, you would think he'd be used to it by now), the cake blew up.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so that's the end of that one! (in case the fact that I started an AN didn't make that obvious…) Sorry it's been so slow to develop thus far, but hopefully it will speed up now. I didn't want to dwell on sixth year too long but I had most of it written and then had to change the years around to make it fit with His Only Daughter and other ideas I had for down the road. I also didn't want to waste time showing the development of her relationship with Adrian when this is considered a Scorpius/Rose story. There will be a couple of chapters with Adrian I don't really like how the sixth year had to be condensed into such a short bit and I'll keep trying to fix it before I post it.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

All hell broke loose. The girls screeched like banshees as soon as the explosion damaged their perfect hair, Dad's head whipped around, searching in vain for the source of the explosion, and James and Fred doubled over in laughter. Realization hit me and I put the pieces together rather quickly. Apparently, so had Aunt Ginny, Uncle Harry, Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, because the two women immediately started in on their 18 year old sons while the men tried not to laugh. Dom pushed back from the table, running inside to get a look at herself in a mirror. I caught Mum looking stern yet staring at the good-as-new cake left in place of the one James and Fred made explode with a slight sense of admiration. I knew that later on she would say it was really remarkable magic. Only _she_ would find a prank to be remarkable and punishable at the same time.

As the dust settled, it dawned on me that Dom going inside meant I was alone with Al and Scorpius. I pushed back from the table, mumbling excuses about going to check on her and hurried inside.

I found her in the upstairs bathroom with Lucy. She began loudly abusing James and Fred as I walked in. I joined her, trying to match her annoyed expression. To be perfectly honest, I was used to our cousins acting like completely immature prats by now, and it seemed graduation hadn't changed anything. I saw no point in getting worked up over it.

Once I got a good look at myself in the mirror, I was glad I'd come inside after all. The half of my face closest to the cake was spotted with icing, and there were a few cake chunks in my hair. Sighing, I set to work pulling them out. I finished far before them, and tried not to roll my eyes as Dom started the very time-consuming task of reapplying her make-up before trying to fix her hair. Why she was going to such lengths when it was just family was beyond me. Suffice it to say I tired of her primping quickly, and made the decision that sitting awkwardly across from Scorpius Malfoy wouldn't be completely horrible. Bracing myself, I exited the bathroom and started down the stairs. I was just turning the last corner when I ran into something very solid.

"Oof! Sorry, I-" I stopped short when I realized I was looking straight into the grey eyes of Scorpius Malfoy.

He grinned, "You should be more careful, Weasley. Others might not be as forgiving as me."

I scoffed, "You? Forgiving?"

I made to step around him but he reached out to grab my wrist before I could do more than get to the next step. "Wait," he said, and something in his voice made me want to obey. It was almost… tender. And then I remembered that this was Scorpius Malfoy. He didn't know the meaning of the word tender. "You, uh, have some…" He trailed off, instead reaching up to pull a piece of cake that I'd missed out of my hair. I was infuriated to feel the tiniest shiver run down my spine as his fingers brushed my scalp.

"Uh, thanks," I said, sure my voice reflected my uncertainty of what I was supposed to do in this situation.

"Yeah, no problem," He replied, just as uncertain.

For a moment, it was just silence, both of us trying to decide what was supposed to happen now. Fortunately for us, we didn't have to figure it out, because Albus chose that exact moment to come into the house.

"Merlin, I haven't seen Mum this angry in-" His glee was cut short when he saw us on the staircase, or more accurately, saw us _together_ on the staircase. His expression immediately turned wary as he approached.

I turned out of instinct as Albus surveyed the situation, wondering what he was looking at. That's when I noticed Scorpius and I were far too close for comfort. Finally gathering my composure, I cleared my throat, stepping away from him as he released his hold on my wrist. I hurried down the rest of the stairs, heading for the kitchen as though that was my intention the entire time. Once inside, I concentrated on breathing steadily while listening to murmured voices out in the living room, followed by footsteps heading up the stairs. What was wrong with me? Why did I react like that? I always figured that if Scorpius Malfoy ever touched me in any way connected with tenderness I would vomit, but instead- I didn't even know what to call my reaction. There must have been a draft. That was it. Nodding to myself as though it would erase all doubt from my mind, I turned and headed back out to the table.

Aunt Ginny and Aunt Angelina looked reasonably calm after having unloaded their anger on James and Fred, who were once again sentenced to de-gnoming the garden, a thought which put the rest of us in higher spirits, although it was disconcerting to realize the punishment carried forth into adulthood. No matter how many times they tried to explain that the incident was just an experiment for a new product they were working on, neither mother bought any of it.

"James Sirius Potter! I don't want to hear another word about it!" Aunt Ginny exclaimed shrilly as he opened his mouth once more. Her usual good humour was lost in situations like these.

"What's happened now?" Emily's voice sounded behind us.

James turned in his seat, standing smoothly and grinning broadly at the sight of his girlfriend. "Em! Thought you couldn't make it!"

"I ducked out early," She supplied as James approached to guide her to the table, kissing her cheek as he did so. "What have you done this time?"

James grimaced. She was not one to be deterred, a quality which drew him to her. No other girl had ever called him on anything before. After all, he _was_ James Potter. Any girl he asked out before her was too head over heels to do much of anything but swoon.

"He thought it would be funny to blow up the cake," Dom answered, when it became clear James wasn't going to. Emily scowled as James ran a hand through his hair, looking properly embarrassed. Aunt Ginny looked pleased as she rose to greet Emily with Grandma Weasley. Aunt Ginny was forever grateful for the somewhat controlling influence Em had on James. He was far more reined in when she was around. As strange as it was, they were good for each other.

After the real cake had been consumed, I disappeared to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water, escaping from the madness that was all the kids heading for the makeshift Quidditch pitch behind the Burrow. I stared out the kitchen window at everyone, watching them divide into teams. It was always a huge debacle trying to get it sorted out so that it was fair, and it was truthfully why I avoided it at all costs. I loved flying and playing Quidditch, I just had no patience for all the formalities of it.

I found myself dwelling on the comment Lily made earlier in the evening. I prided myself on not being one of those girls who moped around all summer after a break-up, but perhaps I wasn't as fully myself as I'd thought. Abandoning the confidence I'd unlocked through something as simple as dressing well was not helping matters. Just because my relationship failed didn't mean that I had to. It only meant that embracing that confidence helped me to succeed in taking a chance on the relationship in the first place. It seemed silly to me now that I would revert back to the mousey girl cloaked in baggy t-shirts, but I guess after a break-up a girl needs a little comfort time to get back on her feet again.

* * *

A week later, I woke up to Dad bellowing up the stairs. It took me a moment to realize what he was yelling.

"They're here! They're here, Rosie!"

Struggling to shake off the sleep clouding my brain, I finally registered the full meaning. The Hogwarts letters were here. Meaning I might get my Head Girl badge. Before I could hyperventilate, I took a couple of deep, calming breaths. Just because I was top in everything didn't mean I would automatically make Head Girl. Nothing was ever for sure.

I cautiously made my way downstairs to where Hugo sat, examining his OWL results. Hugo wasn't one for excessive studying, a habit he picked up from our father, so his OWLS weren't great, and I'm sure our parents expected better, but they weren't terrible. I knew it had to be hard for Hugo, watching me open my letter while Dad waited with baited breath. My letter, not Hugo's OWL results, was the real thing he was waiting for. It was always my letter.

With trembling fingers, I slit open the envelope, gasping as the golden badge fell into my open palm. As much as I'd been hoping for it, I had given myself a healthy dose of doubt to go with my expectations, just in case. Being the daughter of two-thirds of the Golden Trio came with its share of pressure, and I didn't want to disappoint. I was constantly expected to live up to my parents' reputations, which included being top in everything, never getting into trouble, and never doing anything unexpected. Despite my parents' constant reminders that I was my own person and didn't need to pay any attention to what people expected of me, I cared what people thought about the Weasley reputation. I knew my parents did, too, on some level, at least in that they didn't want their children to be drop outs. Especially Dad, since he never actually did finish his schooling. It was like he was reliving his Hogwarts days through me, and I didn't want to disappoint him by failing to achieve the utmost success. The difference between my brother and I was that he took my parents' talks seriously, and couldn't care less. He said I cared too much, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't bear to disappoint my parents by living up to anything less than my full potential.

"Excellent! Just brilliant Rosie! Well done!" Dad immediately snatched the badge out of my hands, beaming proudly. Mum was more discreet in her congratulations, which I appreciated. Dad tended to go a bit overboard at times.

As Dad retreated to the kitchen, probably to owl the entire family like he did when I made Prefect, I read through the letter accompanying the badge.

_Dear Miss Weasley,_

_It is with great pleasure that I inform you that you have been chosen to represent Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as our 1136__th__ Head Girl. I believe that you will set a fine example for your fellow students, given your conduct thus far in your education. I expect you to continue to conduct yourself in such a manner, as this is not an appointment to be taken lightly. I have included a schedule of events for the school Heads along with this letter. Please be advised that it would be beneficial for you to meet with the newly appointed Head Boy, Scorpius Malfoy, before the start of term to reach an agreement on how you plan to approach the necessary responsibilities. I have every confidence that you and Mr. Malfoy will represent Hogwarts with the grace and dignity it deserves._

_Sincerely,_

_Headmistress Cecily Vanhousen_

The last sentence and a half of the letter was a blur. As soon as I read Scorpius's name, my brain shut down. How in Merlin's name was he made Head Boy? And, more importantly, how was I going to be able to live with him for an entire year? This year was the most important of my schooling career, and I had to do it while trying to cooperate with the one person I could not get along with for five years before Al asked us to call our truce. Even after that, the only way we got along was ignoring each other with the occasional pleasantries for Al's sake, and even then we occasionally slipped back into our old routine of biting remarks and angry departures (mostly on my part). How were we supposed to cooperate with each other when we were barely able to be friendly?

I could hear Dad's booming voice from the kitchen, and my stomach clenched as another thought occurred to me. What would my parents say? How would they feel when they found out I was to share a dormitory with Scorpius Malfoy, of all people? Probably around the same way I did. Great.

* * *

I managed to avoid the awkward moment until dinner. Dad had invited Grandma, Grandpa, and the Potter portion of the family for a celebratory supper, which I found highly embarrassing. I sat across from Al and beside Lily, who received a Prefect's badge along with her letter, pushing my food around my plate and smiling at the appropriate intervals.

"So, Rose," Uncle Harry asked during a lull in the conversation, "Do you know who the Head Boy is?"

Everyone swiveled to look at me with interest and I gulped down my potatoes nervously. I could tell Al already knew, because he looked slightly amused to see everyone's reactions.

"Er, the letter said Scorpius Malfoy was," I said, injecting confidence into my voice. I wouldn't betray my fear of their reactions.

Everyone seemed fine with this response. Everyone, that is, except Dad. He dropped his fork with a clatter. "What?"

"It's not a big deal, Dad."

"How does a Malfoy make Head Boy?" He asked, completely flabbergasted.

Albus bristled at this. "How doesn't he? He was a Prefect going into the selections, very nearly top of the class, he takes a full course load, and he's Slytherin's Quidditch captain. Vanhousen would have to be pretty thick to pass him up."

"Albus," Aunt Ginny said warningly.

"What, Mum? I'm sick of everyone judging Scor based on his last name. It's not fair. If it was anyone else sharing a dormitory with Rose, it wouldn't be a big deal."

Dad's face went even paler, if that was possible. I could tell his mind hadn't arrived at the whole 'sharing a dorm' thing yet. Lovely. Thanks, Al.

"Sh-Sharing a dormitory?" He asked quietly.

At this point I was getting exasperated. "Yes, Dad, it's not a secret the Heads share a dorm."

His mouth opened and closed a few times before Mum shot him a look that clearly told him to quit while he was behind.

"We can talk about this later," He muttered, busying himself with cutting some of his roast.

"What is there to talk about?" I asked innocently.

"Rose." This time it was my Mum's turn to warn me.

"What? Didn't Dad say this dinner was supposed to be a celebration? It has nothing to do with Scorpius at all, so why is it such a big deal?"

"You're right. This has nothing to do with Scorpius. I'm sure your father was just a little surprised is all, _weren't you dear_?" Mum replied with a pointed look at Dad.

"Yeah, surprised, sure," He muttered around a mouthful of potatoes.

"Right! Who wants cake?" Grandma asked cheerfully into the silence.

* * *

Considering how badly the reveal of Scorpius as Head Boy went over, I decided not to tell my parents the Headmistress had recommended the two of us meet before the year started. Instead, I spent the first hour after I awoke the next morning locked in my bedroom to compose an owl asking when he wanted to meet. I figured I should get it over with before I lost my nerve. It took me awhile, but finally I deemed it fit to send.

_Scorpius,_

_In accordance with Headmistress Vanhousen's recommendation, I am writing to ask when it would be convenient for you to meet so we can go over the required material for the coming year. Congratulations on making Head Boy and I look forward to working with you._

_-Rose_

After glancing it over once more, I decided against the last sentence and erased it with a flick of my wand. Grinning momentarily (I loved being seventeen), I surveyed the single sentence, wondering if it was too uptight, After all, we _would_ be living and working together. Maybe I should be a tad friendlier? No, this was Malfoy. We barely got along; there was no need to pretend it wasn't true. The letter was cordial, which fell within the boundaries of my promise to Al the previous year. With that, I sealed the envelope and attached it to the leg of the tawny owl, Cyprian, my parents had bought me for making Prefect. I'd named him after a Quidditch referee who was killed during a match in 1357, a reference no one understood unless they'd practically memorized _Quidditch Through the Ages_ as I had.

As soon as the letter was sent off, I allowed myself a moment to give in to my nerves. This would be the first time Scorpius and I would meet outside Hogwarts without Al present, and we were expected to work together this year. I didn't know how it was going to work; I just knew that it had to.

Scorpius's reply was much quicker than I anticipated, arriving mid-afternoon.

_Rose,_

_I agree that we should meet. Does the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at one o'clock work for you?_

_-Scorpius_

I scrawled an affirmative reply and started to plan what I was going to say in order to take my mind off the fact that I was meeting Scorpius Malfoy.

* * *

At quarter to one the next day, I told my parents I was meeting Emily, to reduce the chances of my father having a heart attack, and apparated outside the Leaky Cauldron. Taking a deep breath, and a moment to prepare myself, I pushed the door open. I spotted Scorpius's blond head straight away, and was relieved that at least he was early. Maybe he was going to take this seriously.

I smiled tightly as I slid into the chair across from him with my standard greeting, "Malfoy."

"Why good afternoon, Weasley. Beautiful day, isn't it?" He returned. He was far too chipper. "I see you dressed up for the occasion."

I clenched my jaw at the comment to refrain from snapping at him. I had chosen to forgo the baggy t-shirt today, but he was starting to make me regret it.

"Ok, not in the mood for small talk," he continued after a few seconds of silence on my part. "Shall we get down to it then?"

"Yes. I've compiled lists of the things that I thought previous Heads did well, some of the things I thought could use improvement, as well as how they fit into how I think we should manage everything. I've also drawn up a preliminary patrol schedule," I said, laying the pieces of parchment on the table between us.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. How was it everyone could do that except me? "Weasley, have you been planning for this your entire life? Wait, of course you have. You're you."

I frowned as a faint blush crept up my cheeks. "I have not. I just like to be prepared is all. I figured one of us should have some sort of a plan."

"Do you think I'm incapable of planning?" He asked, taking his turn to frown at me. "Did you think I was just going to wing it?"

"Well, your track record kind of speaks for itself."

His face contorted into disbelief and I started to realize that I may have been too honest about my opinion of him. "So you think I ended up here out of pure coincidence then? It wasn't because I _planned_ the use of my time between Quidditch and schoolwork so I could keep my grades up? I wouldn't be here if I wasn't just as capable as you, Weasley."

My face burned even hotter. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I just… I only meant that I wanted to have everything in my head written down and organized. I didn't think you were the sort to write down your thoughts all neatly on paper."

I could see him trying to decide whether or not to let my lack of a real apology go. My inability to say the words "I'm sorry" was not unique to Scorpius. I wasn't sure exactly why, but it was just something I never really said to anyone. It makes me sound like an awful person, but it wasn't like I wasn't actually sorry. Maybe I just didn't like acknowledging responsibility for offending someone. So what? No one's perfect.

"Well, not all of us are such keeners that we feel the need to compulsively prepare lists for everything," he finally said. Ouch. That stung, but considering what I'd just said to him I decided to let it slide. We weren't going to get anywhere if we spent the entire time insulting each other.

"Ok then. Tell me some of those ideas you refuse to write down."

He surprised me. I definitely wasn't expecting him to actually have such well thought out ideas. I was even more surprised when the majority of our thoughts were basically the same. We both agreed on a balanced patrol schedule, where each Prefect worked with every other Prefect regardless of House and year. One thing we didn't agree on was the level of input the other Prefects should have in the development of the schedule.

"No way. That would just get way too complicated. And besides, the whole point of the Head Boy and Girl is to lead the Prefects. How is letting them develop their own patrol schedule leading them?" I asked.

Scorpius shrugged. "It lets them have some input in the process. They can choose to patrol on nights they think will be less hectic for them, so they're probably going to be more likely to show up. Saves us from having to redo the entire schedule if it conflicts with everyone."

"I think it makes us look too laid back. They won't take us seriously," I argued, "And it makes it too easy for them to pick and choose who they patrol with. It won't be as balanced if they can choose a day based on who else signed up for it."

"It makes us look more approachable and understanding if anything. I'm not one to lord my authority over everyone else's head."

"Oh and I am?" I replied hotly.

"I didn't say that. I just meant that letting them have some say in when they patrol would probably make us seem less intimidating and more cooperative."

I hated to admit it, but I was starting to see his point. Being handed a schedule for patrols the past two years had been nice organization-wise, and it had certainly set the Heads a level above us authority-wise, but it had also resulted in a lot of confusion once club meetings and Quidditch practices started up. The amount of time James and Aline Walker (his fellow Head) spent re-doing the patrol schedule every month was insane, especially since they had to balance it with their other responsibilities. And maybe he was right about the intimidation factor, too. A lot of the fifth year Prefects last year were convinced that the schedule was set in stone and were too afraid to approach James or Aline to report any conflicts.

Sensing his opening, Scorpius pushed forward with his argument. "We can probably figure out a way to enchant the parchment or ink so it won't reveal when everyone signs up, so that eliminates the bias factor."

I considered everything for another minute before finally deciding. "Ok, what if we do the whole enchanted parchment or ink thing to eliminate the bias, and get them to sign up for a fixed number of days per month, but then we choose who patrols from the lists we get? Best of both worlds."

"Wow, are we actually reaching a compromise here, Weasley?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Malfoy," I replied lightly. Despite how the meeting began, it had taken an almost friendly turn.

"I didn't know you were capable of such a feat," he teased.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

Suddenly, the two of us managing to cooperate this year didn't seem so impossible.

* * *

**A/N: OK, so that's it for this one! Also, I'm not too sure where I picked up the whole Head Boy and Girl sharing a dormitory thing. I don't remember it actually being mentioned in the books, and I can't find it on the Internet anywhere, so I'm assuming it's just what I've picked up from years of reading fanfiction! I know it seems very unrealistic for a school to let this happen, however, the fact that they share a dormitory plays a pretty big part in my story with getting them to actually interact more, so please excuse any inconsistency with what is actually true in the books.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ok, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

We left the Leaky Cauldron half an hour later to meet up with our families and friends in Diagon Alley. Once we'd gone through the barrier, we awkwardly said our goodbyes since Scorpius was meeting his parents for a trip to their Gringotts vault before meeting Al, and I planned to meet Emily and Dom while Al was at Madam Malkin's. He needed new robes just like he did every year, and since last year proved it was dead boring waiting around for him to be done we'd agreed to just meet afterward.

I was feeling almost optimistic about the school year ahead. Considering I had been dreading having to spend even fifteen minutes with Scorpius before today, it was a huge improvement. Not only had I now survived two hours alone with him, but we actually managed to be productive and cooperative during the majority of those two hours. If I could survive that, this year shouldn't be a problem.

As soon as she arrived, I made sure to fill Emily in on our 'plans' from this afternoon, just in case my parents asked.

"Wait, so why didn't you actually help me with all the homework I left until the last minute this afternoon?" She asked once I was through.

"And why didn't you invite me?" Dom whined. I laughed at their sheer predictability. Of course they wouldn't have even started their summer work yet. We still had a fair amount of time to do it so it was hardly as 'last minute' as I made it sound, but still. I'd had mine done in the first two weeks of the break. Although maybe that had more to do with the fact that I needed a distraction so I didn't think about Adrian than it did with me actually wanting to get it done.

"Because I had to meet with Malfoy to go over some Head stuff and if I told my dad that he would have made a huge deal out of it."

"Wait, so you lied to your parents about meeting a guy?" Dominique asked, grinning suggestively. "Scorpius Malfoy, no less."

I rolled my eyes. "Dom, it was just business. I'm surprised we even managed to cooperate."

"So am I, actually. Though I guess we haven't seen Scorpius alive and well yet so you could be lying."

I threw my cousin a look but said nothing as we continued on our way to Madam Malkin's. We timed it perfectly, as Al was just emerging from the shop when we arrived. He turned to wave at the seamstress as the door swung shut, turning back just in time for us to catch his expression transforming into one of complete exasperation.

"I swear that woman is going to drive me batty one of these days. She gave the shop over to her daughter, so why in the bloody hell does she insist on sitting in on all of the appointments and criticizing the poor woman?" He muttered as we continued on our way to our first stop: Flourish and Blotts.

"That, dear cousin, we will never know the answer to," I replied lightly. Al turned his head to grin at me.

"So is my best mate still all in one piece, Rosie?" He asked.

"Wow. Does _everyone_ think I'm incapable of interacting civilly with Malfoy?"

"Yes," came their chorus of replies. Some friends.

"Well, you're wrong. Has this past year really proven nothing?"

Al rolled his eyes. "It's proven you can mostly ignore him, and occasionally hold a civil conversation in the presence of others. It has not, however, proven that you can handle being alone with him for elongated periods of time."

"Well, it just so happens that I can. So whoever lost the bet can pay up," I snapped.

"Who said anyone was betting?" Al asked innocently. I tossed him a glare and he dropped the act. "If it counts for anything, Gage was the one who thought you'd kill each other."

* * *

We found Scorpius already outside Flourish and Blotts, accompanied by none other than Gage. Gage turned his Galleon over to Al upon seeing that I was also unscathed, and the group of us proceeded inside.

Being the only two in the group continuing the subjects into our final year, Scorpius and I headed off in search of our Arithmancy and Ancient Runes books as Dominique and Albus started toward the Divination section, with Gage and Emily heading to find their own books. Like my mother, I found the subject of Divination to be utterly useless, and I guess Scorpius did, too. Dom and Al, on the other hand, took it just for the 'easy E' they were rewarded with for making up nonsense. What a waste; it wasn't even an 'O.'

My thoughts were interrupted as I realized I'd come across a problem. While I was average height for a girl my age, maybe a little on the tall side, the Ancient Runes textbooks were just a bit above my reach, probably a result of the almost non-existent demand for them. Frowning, I stood on the tips of my toes, hoping against hope I wouldn't have to go find the shop owner. The man gave me the creeps. Sighing in resignation when I realized I would have to do just that, I rocked back on my heels just as an arm reached up and around me, grabbing two textbooks from the shelf above my head and holding one in front of me. I opened my mouth in surprise and turned to see who exactly my saviour was. Of course, it had to be Scorpius. Standing just over half a head taller than me gave him the extra height he needed to reach it.

"Thanks," I muttered, taking the book.

"No problem, Weasley," He replied, and I heard his footsteps retreat back down the aisle.

* * *

The rest of the trip went smoothly, and soon Dom and I were standing near the entrance to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where the family met up after retrieving all their books. Albus and Scorpius were across the floor with James and Fred inspecting some new merchandise Uncle George had ordered and Hugo was with Lily checking out the third floor. Uncle George hadn't wanted to keep the shop after his twin's death in the War, but the family managed to convince him. Dad took on the responsibilities of day-to-day operations and Uncle Percy even stepped in to handle the books temporarily. After Uncle George finally came back, Dad stayed on, though Uncle Percy went back to work at the Ministry. From what I'd heard, Uncle Percy was an assistant to the Minister during the War and had a falling out with the family because of it. You'd never be able to tell now. He looked completely at ease laughing with Uncle George.

Speaking of laughing, as I did a sweep of the room with my eyes, I got a brief glimpse of Al and Scorpius laughing together, James and Fred nowhere in sight. I backtracked to take a longer look at the pair. They both looked completely at ease, something rare for Scorpius. Not that I spent all of my time, or even a fair portion of it, watching the bloke, but usually his air of over-confidence was accompanied by a sort of tension, as though he were putting up walls to protect himself. When he was with Albus, though, there were rare moments like this in which his guard seemed to slip away. I figured this was why Al always said he was such a good guy, because he got to see him as him and not as the ladies' man everyone else did.

"Who are you watching ever so intently?" Dom's voice startled me from my thoughts.

"N-No one," I stuttered shakily, looking hurriedly away. What was going on with me lately? It was one thing to be civil and cooperative with him, but to stand and ponder the inner workings of his mind? I think that was a bit above and beyond. I needed to get a grip, and quickly.

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh, look, there's Mum and Dad now. I'd better go get Hugo. I'll see you on the first of September?"

"How convenient," Dom grinned, "Yes, I'll meet you on the platform."

I headed out the door, meeting someone halfway through and stepping aside to let him pass without much thought.

"Rose. Hi."

I nearly stopped breathing. I knew that voice. My eyes snapped up to meet his. "Adrian. Uh- How have you been?"

"Good, good. You?" He asked, looking down at me. His eyes were the same deep brown I remembered, though it had only been two months. What would really have changed in that short of time?

"Good," I replied, trying to slow my heartbeat. I stole a glance to the left and saw Dom watching us closely. As my eyes traveled back to Adrian, I took in Al and Scorpius looking on as well. Great. "Well, uh, I have to go. I guess I'll see you around…"

"Yeah, see you." He looked almost regretful. I was half way down the steps as he called out, "Hey, Rose. You- uh- you look good."

I smiled slightly, "Thanks. So do you."

My heart was still pounding as I walked away from my ex-boyfriend.

* * *

Try as I might to ignore it, Adrian Davies was stuck on my mind all evening. It was understandable, of course, given that he was my first serious boyfriend and this was one of only a few awkward encounters after our break-up. This time, it wasn't as awkward as our previous run-ins. It felt almost normal. It felt as though we weren't actually broken up, just having a row. It felt like it did before summer.

I found myself taking a trip down a masochistic memory lane as I lay in bed that night. Our entire relationship seemed to play through my mind: Dom's make-over catching Adrian's attention, his persistence in asking me out (at least once every other day), me finally giving in and finding there was more to him than the ladies' man exterior, me slowly falling for him, him slowly falling for me, and then the harsh realization that summer was coming, and that painful conversation before our relationship ended.

"_Rose, look, the year's almost over. Things between us got pretty intense pretty quickly. I think that, maybe, it might be best to take some time, maybe the summer, and just re-evaluate. My feelings haven't changed. I want you to know that."_

_I swallowed the lump that had been growing in my throat since I'd first seen him tonight. I'd had a feeling this was coming, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. "You're right. This is probably best."_

_He looked mildly surprised that I hadn't dissolved into tears at his suggestion. "I'm going to be traveling a lot with my family so we wouldn't get to see each other much anyway. If we still feel the same after summer, we can pick back up where we left off."_

_I nodded. It was a logical train of thought. Our relationship spanned from mid-November to May, the longest for either of us. I had been feeling a bit wary of all of it myself, but Dom had firmly derailed all of my insecurities. "You're right. We should take a break and figure things out. This year has been intense. I definitely didn't expect any of this."_

_He gave me a lopsided smile laced with sadness that made my heart beat just a bit faster, "Me neither. You took me by surprise, Red."_

He called me Red. At first it irked me, just a little, but I grew to like it. He was the only one who got the call me that. I missed it. I missed him. I didn't realize how much until today. Seeing him brought back so many feelings, and I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same. A small part of me cried that he broke up with me so that he wouldn't have a girlfriend to tie him down during his summer travels. After all, if he loved me, he wouldn't just toss me, would he? But the majority of me believed him when he said he loved me.

Dominique hadn't agreed with me at all. In fact, she thought I was positively mad to take such a rational stance on this. Overnight, her opinion of Adrian took a complete 180. She didn't understand how I wasn't a complete mess. She didn't know that I was just holding it all in until I was alone that night. Rose Weasley didn't cry. She didn't show weakness in front of anyone. She was the one who always had it all together. Rose Weasley didn't let anyone see her falter.

Now, three months after the break-up, it was hard to sort through my feelings. Yes, I missed Adrian, but did I still love him? I may not have been a complete and utter mess when he suggested our 'break', but I was still hurt. Maybe I didn't really know what love was if I wasn't rendered useless when Adrian left me, or maybe I was only as OK as I was because I spent the summer telling myself it was only a break and we would get back together once school started. But did I want to get back together with him? Did he want to pick back up with me? Was that even an actual option, or was it just a lie like Dom told me it was? I hated the uncertainty of it all. Maybe it was best to just wait and see what Adrian would do once we got back to school.

* * *

I must have tired myself out at some point during the night, because I woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through my window. For a brief moment, I forgot all about my run-in with Adrian. Of course, once I remembered, I jumped out of bed and began to hurriedly get ready for the day to keep my mind occupied.

There was not much time left until term started. I spent it cleaning, packing, reading, cleaning, hanging out with Emily and Dom (who were worried about the whole Adrian thing, though I brushed them off), and did I mention cleaning? Finally, we were off to King's Cross. For some unknown reason, I impulsively pulled out a white skirt Dom had forced on me and paired it with a navy blue cap-sleeved shirt for the journey to the school. Maybe I was hoping to see Adrian again, but I wasn't sure which reaction I wanted from him: desire to get back together, or regret that he'd let me get away.

I arrived at the platform at 10:15AM, as Headmistress Vanhousen specified in her letter. Scorpius and I were required to supervise the boarding of the train and ensure the first years understood the process. I crossed the barrier to find it empty, but Scorpius wasn't far behind.

He stopped short when he saw me leaning against the support beam across from the entrance. "Wow. I didn't know you owned a skirt, Weasley."

Instead of bristling as was my instinct, I reminded myself that we had to work and live together this year. I also reminded myself that, if it were anyone else, I would take it as a joke, which meant I shouldn't treat Scorpius any differently. So, instead of biting his head off like I would have last week, I grinned cheekily. "Like I've said, there's a lot you don't know about me."

* * *

Dom squealed in delight when she saw what I was wearing. She figured the skirts would end up at the bottom of my closet with all the other rejects, and yet here I was finally wearing one.

Before stepping onto the platform at the beginning of my sixth year, I was just a quiet girl who studied relentlessly and never partied. It was remarkable to see the change that came with the new clothes. It wasn't just everyone looking at me in a different way; it was the confidence that came with it. I stopped studying all the time (though I still outstripped Albus and Dominique) and started to relax, finally following my mother's advice. Strange, that the desire for me to stop dedicating myself so thoroughly to my schoolwork came from Mum, and not Dad, given their own scholarly habits. Mum said she'd been through it all and already knew that wasting away in front of a textbook wasn't worth it if I was missing out on the friendships and experiences one was supposed to get at Hogwarts. Of course she meant slightly more normal (and less dangerous) experiences than taking down a mountain troll or going up against the darkest wizard in recent history, but it carried the same point. As soon as I started to allow myself to let go of my obsessive desire to study every waking moment I saw her point. I needed more in my life than Dom, Emily, and textbooks. Sure, I was on good terms with most of my year (with one glaring exception), but I hadn't seen them much outside of the classroom until I started to loosen the reins a little.

"No running on the platform!" I shouted over the noise of parents and children saying their good-byes.

"There she is!" My father's booming voice reached my ears over the din and I turned, smiling.

I hugged my parents quickly, trying not to think that this was the last time we would ever do this. This was the last time I would come here in September as a student. Everything was going to change. I stepped back, blinking rapidly to prevent my eyes from glazing over. I covered by looking over my shoulder and pretending to survey the platform. Rose Weasley didn't cry. Especially not over sentimental nonsense. Not even if her mother was tearing up. Nope. No tears, no misty eyes.

"Ok, well I think you know the drill by now, Rosie," Dad said gruffly. "Keep up your grades and do us proud. If Malfoy steps one toe out of line-"

"I can handle myself, Dad," I replied, the slightest irritation gnawing at my words. I wasn't a defenseless little girl, and he really didn't need to worry. It wasn't like I was going to fall for Scorpius's many masculine charms. I almost laughed to myself thinking of any charm he could possibly possess that would result in me falling for him.

"I know, but I don't want you to jeopardize your perfect record for that prat. Just write home and I'll come hex the little-"

"Ronald!" Mum hissed, looking alarmed.

"Only joking, dear." He sent me look as Mum turned to hug Hugo that told me he actually wasn't. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly at him before turning to survey the platform.

There were ten minutes until the train departed. Giving my parents a final wave, I started to make a last round of the platform. I spotted James and Emily locked together quite fiercely and quickly looked away. They were nervous about trying the whole long distance thing, I knew. Emily's parents divorced a few years back, and ever since she's been guarded when it comes to relationships. She's taken so many steps forward with James that I hoped this year wouldn't destroy them like it did so many other couples. I wasn't sure if Emily would be able to handle it. I popped back outside the barrier to check for any lost first years one last time, and could hear Scorpius calling out a ten minute warning from the other side of the platform as I re-emerged. It took right until the last minute to get everyone safely on the train, and I breathed a sigh of relief as we finally hopped on just as it started to move.

Ok, here we go. Nothing to be apprehensive about, Rose. This is what you've been waiting for your entire school career. This was your plan all along, and it's finally time to put it into action. You can do this.

"Weasley? You coming, or do you plan on standing there the entire day?" Scorpius's amused question broke me from my silent pep talk. I scowled at him with less animosity than I wanted to and brushed past him to lead the way to the Prefects' carriage.

"Ok, so, uh, I guess welcome back to those of you who are returning, and welcome to those of you who are new," I smiled, standing at the front of the enlarged Prefects' compartment with Scorpius. Lily sat with the rest of the new fifth year Prefects, looking slightly apprehensive despite her attempt to conceal it. "I'm Rose Weasley, and this is Scorpius Malfoy. So first we'll just go over some general rules. It'll be a bit boring for those of you in sixth and seventh year but just bear with us."

We read over the rules in record time, proceeding smoothly into the scheduling for patrols. Once everything was explained, we assigned each sixth year Prefect to a fifth year Prefect to patrol the train at certain intervals during the journey both so the fifth years had someone to show them the ropes, and so the seventh years could enjoy their last train ride to Hogwarts at the beginning of a school year. Yes, that was Scorpius's idea, and yes, I protested it heavily before giving in.

Once the meeting was adjourned, Scorpius, Ben, and I started down the train in search of our friends. Of course, they all had to be sitting in the same compartment, which meant that I didn't get to escape Scorpius like I'd hoped. I spent the journey down the train confiscating banned items and scolding younger students trying to experiment with magic while Scorpius sighed in exasperation every time. Finally I spun on him.

"What?" I snapped.

"School hasn't even started yet, Weasley. You'll have plenty of time to do this in the castle."

"The second they stepped on this train they became _our_ responsibility, Malfoy. Or have you forgotten that?" I hissed angrily. Here he was, proving me right. He couldn't actually take this seriously.

"No, of course I haven't. The second years and above should know better, yes, but I don't see how a first year trying to cast 'abracadabra' is really going to result in any danger."

"Well, they could… poke someone's eye out with their wand, or mispronounce the words and end up casting a spell they hadn't originally intended," I tried, realizing just how ridiculous I sounded. Scorpius's amused smile and Ben's attempt to hide his confirmed it. "Ok, so they won't really do any harm, but it's the principle of the matter. We can't very well make a fuss over second years playing around with magic but let first years get away with it."

Scorpius raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, you have a fair point."

"Thank you," I snapped, whirling back around and continuing forward.

"Dang. I had February in the pool," Ben muttered to Scorpius behind me, "I was trying for optimism, but I don't know if you'll make it until then."

I pretended not to hear.

* * *

**A/N: And so ends another chapter. I originally had different plans for Adrian, but he works better in this role. I hope you agree as the story progresses! This chapter was kind of slow but it will start picking up as we get them off to Hogwarts.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The compartment was packed with Dom, Emily, Albus, Ben, Scorpius, and I. Gage joined us for about half an hour before heading back to the compartment he'd previously been in. After he left, space became a bit more available, but still a tad cramped.

"Don't you guys have to go patrol the train or something?" Al asked about two hours into the journey, eyeing the three of us Prefects with confusion.

Scorpius smirked, "I managed to convince your cousin that the seventh years deserved a break this time round."

I rolled my eyes as Albus expressed his great surprise at anyone being able to convince me of anything.

"I figured it was easier to just agree than start a fight when we have the entire year to kill each other," I said lightly. Al eyed me skeptically, not completely buying my attempts to act naturally. "I'm going to go stretch my legs."

"I'll join you," Al smiled sweetly at me. I knew I would get questioned about my sudden attempts at joking.

And get questioned I did.

"Look, I'm trying, ok?" I snapped at my cousin as we continued down the train.

He grinned, "After all these years, you're finally putting in an honest effort. You can totally tell it's fake, but I appreciate the attempt all the same."

"I tried last year," I protested.

"No, you just ignored him, but I didn't say anything because it was better than you two fighting all the time. Much less exhausting."

"Fake it 'til you make it," I quipped. In truth, I'd never really considered how our constant sniping affected Albus. Really, I hadn't concentrated on much except my distaste for Malfoy and his crude, arrogant nature. I was giving it an honest effort now that I was forced to do so, but there was still an angry tension between us. We halted for a moment to allow some scared looking first years by.

Albus grinned. "I swear we weren't that little when we were in first year."

"Definitely not," I agreed.

We continued on our journey down the train in relative silence, pausing every now and then to allow younger students passage. We were almost to the end when we saw him. Maybe a part of me hoped I would come across him, but now that the moment was here I really wished we hadn't ventured this far. I felt Al stiffen behind me as he saw Adrian coming toward us.

"Rose!" Adrian called out, seeing us just as I had a feeling Al was about to suggest we turn back.

I smiled tightly at him as we came even with each other. "Adrian."

"Rose, wait. I was, er, hoping we could talk," he said nervously, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. With his head bowed, his eyes looking up at me hopefully, he looked exactly the same as he had the final time he'd asked me out. It was the honesty in his eyes that got me every time. I wanted to talk to him, of course, but the eyes only made that desire stronger.

"I really don't think there's anything for you _to_ say to her," Al interrupted, stepping slightly in front of me. He was a tad shorter than Adrian, but with slightly more muscle mass to make up for it. They both played Quidditch, but Al was much more dedicated considering he was the Gryffindor captain.

Adrian looked taken aback by Al's interruption but I quickly elbowed my cousin in the side and maneuvered in front of him as he cringed from the impact.

"Sure. Let's talk," I replied, smiling unsurely. Al looked as though he was going to say something else, but I subtly stepped to the side and landed on his toe. "Albus, why don't you go on ahead and I'll catch up."

I shot him a glare when he seemed to want to protest again and he backed down. Bloody overprotective cousins.

_I came into the common room after returning from Hogsmeade to find Albus sitting with Emily by the fireplace. They were working on their Care of Magical Creatures homework (they were the only two who had been able to stand the subject past fourth year), but the second Emily saw me, she abandoned her work and waved me over._

_"How was your date?" She asked, grinning widely. Al tried to look uninterested but I could tell he was listening. _

"_It was actually... Nice. He wasn't a prat at all. A perfect gentleman. He asked me out again and I said yes."_

_Albus coughed at my words._

_I smiled at him sweetly, "Something to say, Al?"_

"_No. Continue sharing your wonderful date with Adrian Davies," he snapped sarcastically._

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Look, Rose, that's his game. He plays all honest and gentlemanly to get you to trust him and then once he gets you he drops you."_

"_You really think I'm that kind of girl Al?"_

"_I-"_

"_No. Just because you still play the field doesn't mean guys like Adrian aren't ready for something more substantial."_

"_I'm a guy, Rose. I know how his mind works. You don't. And what makes you think I'm not ready for something more substantial?" He asked, frowning._

"_You don't really know him all that well so you can't really judge, now can you? And seriously? All you ever do is snog girls at parties. You can't say you want to get serious and still act like a player."_

"_Whoa, what's with all the abuse piling on my little bro?" James asked, coming to stand behind Emily's chair. _

"_He's being a judgmental prat," I snapped angrily. _

"_She went out with Adrian Davies and is planning on doing so again," Al explained, shooting his older brother a knowing look._

_James stiffened. "You can't be serious."_

"_Oh, but I am. And believe it or not, I'm a big girl who can take care of herself, James," I said, pushing myself out of my chair angrily. "And really, you're just the same as Albus. You judge Adrian for his past but you act the exact same way. It's disgusting."_

_James's jaw clenched. "I'm not like that anymore, little cousin."_

"_What? Did the right girl finally come along?" I asked, half sarcastic and half teasing._

_James's eyes flicked down to Emily briefly before he smiled slightly and answered, "Maybe."_

_I was shocked into silence for once. Did James really feel so strongly about Emily that he was willing to give up his playboy ways for her? Was she really going to be the one to change him?_

"_I have to go," Albus spoke up suddenly. He pushed his chair back from the table and shoved his books hurriedly into his bag, dropping a notebook in the process. Em leaned down to pick it up for him, frowning. _

"_Are you ok, Al?" She asked._

_He nodded curtly. "I'm fine. I just forgot I have a thing."_

_He made it to the dormitory stairs before Em managed to ask if they'd finish their homework later. Al nodded curtly once more and smiled in a forced way before heading up the stairs. I frowned after my best friend and cousin, confused at his sudden change in behaviour. _

_Turning to James, I remembered the point I was about to make. "You know, if you can change is it such of a stretch that Adrian can? And don't just say yes because you don't like him. You don't even know him." I started to walk away before turning back to add, "And James, if I find out you or Al saw fit to have any kind of conversation with him, I will demonstrate just how capable I am of taking care of myself."_

_He had the decency to look slightly intimidated before turning and saying something to Emily. She smiled and I watched the two of them head to the portrait hole before continuing up to the dormitory. I knew there was something there, but neither of them would admit it. They'd been 'hanging out' for weeks now. Emily denied anything beyond friends, but they spent a _lot_ of time in the Heads' private quarters. If something wasn't already happening, it wouldn't be long._

About a week after that, Adrian had approached me, looking slightly nervous, and asked how seriously he should take my cousins. James and Al didn't walk properly for a couple of days after that.

"Sorry," I said, smiling a bit awkwardly at Adrian as Albus departed.

He smiled back earnestly. "No worries. I get why he's overprotective. Listen, I've been a prat, Rose. I should never have said what I did before summer. It was a stupid idea and I should have known nothing would change over two months. I still love you. I'm still _in love_ with you. I know I don't deserve it, but if you could even consider giving me a second chance, well…" He trailed off as he produced a single white daisy from behind his back. I hated roses, understandably.

He was laying the charm on way too thick, but I chalked it up to nerves. I didn't think anyone expected to see the day when Adrian Davies asked a girl to take him back. Every bone in my body screamed for me to just say yes, but my brain was a tad more rational. I really did need to consider this.

I made my way back to the compartment, turning the daisy between my fingers and biting my lip. I'd told Adrian I needed a few days to think about it, but I really didn't need the pressure of this decision on top of everything else. Oh well, suck it up. The road to happiness is obscured by thousands of decisions to be made.

I got a lot of grief on the subject once I arrived back in the compartment. Albus had, of course, spilled the beans, and the second I pushed the door open I was assaulted with questions.

Finally, I held up my hands to stop the flow. "Enough! I told him I needed to think about it, and it's really none of your concern what I decide. This is about me and Adrian, no one else."

Silence fell and I breathed a sigh of relief, falling into a seat next to Scorpius. I had far too much on my mind to think about any displeasure in this arrangement, and instead just relaxed back into the cushions and continued to twirl the daisy in circles.

"Davies even gave you a flower?"

At first I didn't realize it was Scorpius who had spoken. Emily and Albus were deep in conversation, and Dom was showing something to Ben.

"Yes," I answered defensively. I could hear the derisive tone in his voice.

"Wow. He's really laying it on thick." I turned to face him, frowning, but just as I opened my mouth, he spoke again, "He even remembered you don't like roses. I've never seen him put in that much effort before. Maybe you really have changed him, Weasley."

My frown became one of confusion instead of anger at his words. Malfoy settled back against the cushions and closed his eyes without another glance in my direction, leaving me to wonder why he was the only one who wasn't judging the situation, and how he knew I hated roses.

After supervising the unloading of the train, Scorpius and I grabbed the last carriage to the Feast together in silence. This was the last time I would experience a start of term feast. This time next year I would be working in the real world. Doing what, I had no idea. All seventh years were required to meet three times with their Head of House over the year to discuss career decisions, but I had nothing to tell Professor Longbottom when the time came. The meetings were organized so that we met at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the year. I needed to come up with something to say before next week. I couldn't very well go into this meeting telling him that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life after graduation. I was Rose Weasley, for Merlin's sake. I was expected to know exactly what I was doing. My dad wanted me to get some prestigious desk job in the ministry, but I couldn't say the prospect of pushing paper for the rest of my life was very enticing. However, what would my father say if I told him the things I was really considering? Mum would be supportive, of course, but Dad was always another story. He told you that he would accept you no matter what, but you knew what he would and wouldn't approve of. You never wanted to disappoint him, and that was a pressure all in its own.

I sighed, rising from the bench at the conclusion of the Feast and heading toward the Headmistress's office. Scorpius and I were to report there at the end of the dinner. We arrived at around the same time, speaking the password and stepping onto the spiral staircase together.

"Enter," Headmistress Vanhousen's voice sounded form within. My stomach clenched nervously while Scorpius continued to look perfectly at ease. It was as if this were any normal day.

We greeted the Headmistress and sat when she indicated. The meeting was relatively quick and to the point. No abuse of power, no inappropriate behaviour in the Heads' dormitory, and so forth. She told us explicitly that the dormitory was charmed to alert her of any misconduct, considering that this _was_ a school. I found it strange that the school even allowed two teenagers of opposite sexes to live in such close proximity. Vanhousen explained that the arrangements were a reflection of the trust she had in us as adults to behave in a mature fashion. This led to the most awkward moment of the night. Should we cross the line of friendship, we were required to inform her immediately. Apparently, it happened more than one would expect, but the prospect of it happening this year was one I found quite humorous. Vanhousen had experience on her side, and ploughed right through the discomfort easily.

None of the prefects knew this, but the Headmistress chose two seventh years from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses as sort of Deputy Heads in case Scorpius or I failed to perform our duties adequately. We were required to visit our house common rooms at least once per week to make sure everything was still going well, as well as to prevent ourselves from becoming too wrapped up in our greater authority. All in all, the rules weren't too different from those of the other prefects. Easy enough. The Headmistress handed us our schedules for classes at the end of the meeting with a smile and wishes of good luck.

We made our way silently to the Heads' dormitory and spoke the password before Scorpius motioned for me to enter first. I gave him a small, awkward smile before ducking through the doorway. The common area looked the same as it had last year when I'd visited James. The fireplace housed a roaring fire, with a couch and two armchairs surrounding it along with a small table. I smiled slightly as I took it in. After six years of working toward this, I was finally here. I was Head Girl.

Scorpius headed toward the staircase on the left side of the common area which led to his bedroom while I headed for the one on the right side.

"Hey, Weasley," Scorpius said softly. I stopped with my foot on the first stair and turned my head to face him. "I know it's none of my business, but be careful with Davies. He may have never shown this much effort before, but that doesn't mean you should forgive him for breaking your heart the first time."

I had no idea what to say at first. I was completely shocked that he would even say anything about this to me. How _dare_ he comment on my relationship? How would he know if Adrian had broken my heart or not? I'd kept myself carefully composed in the corridors for the few days left in term. It's not like he had any experience with this sort of thing, anyways. "You're right," I replied, finding my voice, "It _is_ none of your business, Malfoy."

I set my jaw and ascended the rest of the stairs, pushed the door open, and let it snap shut behind me to punctuate my anger at his interference. We didn't even know each other. We tolerated each other for the sake of our best friend, and suddenly he thought that gave him the right to offer up his opinion on my personal life? Earlier, he'd been almost supportive of it being my decision to make, so why the sudden change in heart? No one thought I should give Adrian a second chance. No one understood. If anything it made me more determined to prove them all wrong.

Our first day as seventh years went much the same way as our first days in fifth and sixth year. In every class our teachers spent the first fifteen minutes lecturing us on the importance of this year. Our grades this year would determine the course of our lives. How we performed this year would be the example of our conduct that employers looked to when we applied for jobs. This year could make or break our chances of getting into the post-Hogwarts training programs we hoped for. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat next to Dominique as Professor Newberry, Head of Hufflepuff House, repeated these exact words to us in Transfiguration, even after we'd heard them from Professor Brom in Defence Against the Dark Arts. I could guarantee I would hear them again from Professor Longbottom in Herbology, Chang in Charms, Derrick in Potions, and so on and so forth. The cycle was never ending.

We finished the day with far too much homework, and on top of it, Scorpius and I still needed to finalize this month's patrol schedule. We had to patrol for the first couple of nights until the schedule was out, so the sooner we got it done the better. To that end, I collected the calendar with its invisible signatures and sat in front of the fireplace to get started. I had only revealed the names on the calendar when Scorpius walked in.

"Seriously? You're starting on that already?" He asked once he recognized the parchment in front of me.

"The sooner we get it done, the better."

"Oh, come off it, Rose. It's the first day."

"All the more reason to get this done. We already have a ton of homework and it'll only get worse from here, Malfoy. Let's get this over with so we don't have to add patrols to our schedule. Aren't you the one who was in favour of the 'next generation' doing all the work?" I asked, really wishing I could raise an eyebrow at that moment.

He grinned, "Ok, fine. You got me there, Weasley. Let's get this over with."

We made it through with minimal arguing, which surprised me, and we both went our separate ways to post the schedules in the common rooms. The Headmistress had given us the locations and passwords to be used only for patrol postings. Scorpius took Slytherin and Hufflepuff, claiming he wouldn't be able to figure out the answer to the riddle required for entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

I entered the Ravenclaw common room first, heading straight for the notice board. I took care not to draw too much attention to myself, but word must have spread twice as fast as it normally did, because I turned around and almost ran straight into Adrian.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said as I jumped slightly. I put a hand to my forehead in an attempt to calm myself a bit.

"Adrian. I said I needed a few days-"

"I know. But does that mean I can't say hi?"

I smiled, "I guess not."

"So, sharing a dormitory with Malfoy. How's that going?" He asked.

I laughed easily, "It's actually not too bad yet."

"Well I guess it's only been one night."

I smiled, not sure what to say to that. We chatted for a few more minutes about classes and Quidditch before I took my leave. It was nice talking to Adrian again, but I did have a busy night tonight.

"You going to the party tonight?" He called out as I started to back away.

"What party?"

"The start of term party? The one that happens every year?"

Understanding clicked in and I shook my head. The start of term party was a relatively new tradition at Hogwarts. Unofficially, it was for fifth to seventh years and took place in the Room of Requirement. The students of Hogwarts would be forever grateful to Professor Longbottom for devoting spare time in his first two years of teaching to fixing the Room of Requirement. After the Fiendfyre incident during the war, McGonagall was sure the Room was beyond repair, and the teachers agreed it would be best if the Room were left alone, given all that had occurred within its walls. However, Professor Longbottom found a way to restore at least some of its function after the former Headmistress's retirement. No one was quite sure why he was so keen to fix it. Perhaps because it saved so many students from the horrors of Hogwarts during the War, he viewed it as a sort of haven. Perhaps he just wanted to prove he could.

Either way, the room was now somewhat rehabilitated. It had fixed dimensions, unable to morph to its occupants' desired size, but would still obey simple requests pertaining to its perception. For instance, the Room would conceal itself and become soundproof if asked. A teacher could walk by and have no idea students were inside, perhaps having a party, for instance. It was something we were forever indebted to the Professor for, though it couldn't be said aloud, lest he feel an obligation to enlighten the other teachers. I'm sure they knew, of course, but as long as they weren't directly told and had no actual proof, it was a happy little unspoken secret. As long as it caused little to no havoc, Vanhousen conveniently overlooked its existence.

"I can't. I have to patrol tonight."

"Oh, come on, Red, live a little. I'm sure Malfoy will be there. He hasn't missed one yet, and this is our last!"

"Well, he can go if he likes, but I take my responsibilities seriously."

Adrian let it go and I went on my way to the Gryffindor common room. It was strange being back there again. Even after only one night away, I felt like an intruder.

"Rose!" Dom's voice sounded cheerfully behind me as I stabbed a tack through the patrol schedule. "What are you wearing tonight?"

I would have been confused if Adrian hadn't just brought it up. "I can't go, Dom. I have to patrol tonight."

My cousin immediately deflated. "But it's our _last_ start of the year bash! You _have_ to come! I'm sure you can bully some fifth year into doing it for you."

I rolled my eyes at her. "I am not abusing my power like that, Dom."

"Good thing Scor and I already did it for you, then," Al's nonchalant voice came from behind me.

"What?!" I whirled on my other cousin as Dom clapped her hands in glee.

"Well, we didn't really abuse power. We managed to round up Elaina Reilly and Simon Kingsmith. They volunteered to take the patrol tonight if you and Scor take theirs next Wednesday."

Al looked far too proud of himself. I inhaled deeply to try to stay calm. "Did it occur to you that I might not be able to take a patrol next Wednesday? Or that I might not want to?"

The smile dropped off his face. "Rose, we were just trying to help. You need to let loose a little. You've never actually been to the start of the year party before. If I recall, you took Aline's place patrolling last year. It's only fair that someone do the same for you now that we're in our last year."

"Well if I've never been to it why should I go now?"

"Because it's our last year! We need to take advantage of this, Rose. No regrets and all that nonsense."

I inhaled again, but could feel my irritation ebbing away. There was no sense fighting what was already done. "Fine. Thank you, Albus."

The grin returned to his face and Dom squealed behind me, grabbing my hand and leading me up to the seventh year girls' dormitory to find me something to wear. She completely ignored my protests, telling me that everything I owned had likely been worn at least once, and she'd brought more than enough new outfits for the both of us and Emily. Imagine our surprise when we realized that Emily also needed convincing.

"I dunno guys. I just… I don't really feel like celebrating," she told us from her spot on her four poster bed.

"Oh, come on, Em. _I'm_ going!" I tried, while Dom surveyed our friend.

"This is about James, isn't it?" She guessed shrewdly.

"I know it's pathetic, but I just can't help it. I miss him, and it feels weird going to parties without him here."

"Oh, come off it, Em. You know he and Fred are hosting tons of parties at their 'bachelor pad'. He wouldn't want you to stay shut up here like… like Rose."

I took offence to that, but figured I could bring it up later. "Emily, if you don't come of your own free will, I will be forced to inform Albus, and I will not be responsible for the lengths he goes to. He's already probably blackmailed Elaina Reilly into taking my patrol, there's no telling how far he'll go."

It took a few more minutes before an idea occurred to me. I'd seen an oval package resting on Emily's trunk on the platform and could guess what it contained. I tried not to attract much attention to myself as Dom and Emily continued to argue. I quietly sifted through Emily's trunk, finding exactly what I was looking for just as Emily noticed.

"Rose, what are you-" She started, eyes widening as she realized what I held.

"James Potter," I spoke clearly at the mirror, grinning as my cousin's face appeared in the mirror. I _knew_ it. I couldn't tell if this was the broken one Uncle Harry repaired or not, but James must have nicked the pair from him. "Hey, cousin. Tell your girlfriend that if _I'm _going to the start of the year bash, she'd better be accompanying me."

I tossed the mirror to Emily and went to stand next to Dom as she sifted through her clothes to find something she deemed appropriate. It turned out to be a burnt orange top and denim skinny jeans, which was better than I'd expected. Until she shoved black, strappy heels into my hands.

"No way. There's no way I can walk in these," I told her, startled.

She laughed. "Of course you can. Every girl can walk in heels. It just takes a couple of minutes to get used to them first. You'll be fine, trust me."

I eyed them skeptically, wishing Dom and I weren't the same size, until Emily spoke up in agreement. Her conversation with James had convinced her there was no sense moping about, thankfully. With that settled the three of us headed down to dinner. Afterward, I brought Dom and Emily back to the Heads' dorm and worked on my homework while the two of them started doing hair and make-up. I didn't understand why they needed to start so early.

"Oh, Merlin, you brought them here to get ready?" Al's voice came from behind me.

"Yeah?" I responded. "I can ask them to turn down the music if you want."

"No, it's not that, but now that you're here we're going to feel obligated to wait for you and girls take _forever_ to get ready," he whined.

"You might feel obligated but I don't," Scorpius chimed in, heading to his room.

They ended up waiting for us anyways. After Dom and Emily finished doing whatever it was they were doing to themselves, Dom came to pull me in as well. I shot Albus a fearful look over my shoulder. Dom may have gotten me into better clothing, but I wasn't much for more than a bit of mascara. I had no idea what they were planning, but I knew I wasn't looking forward to it. In the end, Dom only put some eyeliner and eyeshadow on in addition to my usual mascara. I protested the heels once more before finding myself standing in them in front of the mirror. Well, I guess I was losing that battle. Em pulled back half of my curly hair in a clip and smiled at me in the mirror.

Finally, the three of us stepped out of my room. Al and Scorpius were sitting on the couch, Al turning and starting in on what would surely have been a great exaggeration of his impatience starting with 'Galloping Gargoyles', but he stopped after those two words when he caught sight of us. Scorpius turned around frowning at his best friend's sudden silence, only for his eyes to widen ever so slightly as he took us in.

"And this is why they take so long, mate." He grinned wolfishly, "Looking good, ladies."

I withheld a scoff, settling for shooting him a look as I stepped past him. His grin only widened.

"You know, Scorpius was totally checking you out," Dom attempted to whisper in my ear once we got to the party. The music made it a bit difficult, but she got an O for effort.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Please. He was just being his usual self."

"And his usual self totally thinks you're hot."

I rolled my eyes again and took a drink. "Dominique, we barely get along."

"You know, your hatred for each other over the years could be interpreted as passion," she pointed out, schooling her expression into one of innocence.

I shot her one of my practiced looks and her expression sobered. She took a long drink, still eyeing me over the brim of her cup. I ignored her, turning to survey the room instead. I spotted Lily over in one corner with Hugo and a couple of their friends and my eyes widened.

"What in Merlin's name are _they_ doing here?" I asked, coughing on the bit of liquid I'd inhaled at the sight of my little brother and cousin.

"The same thing we are, I imagine," Em replied indifferently.

"But-but- they're-"

"Fifth years, Rose."

Well that kind of ruined my semi-good mood. My little brother was old enough to go to the parties now…

"I take it you've seen our siblings, then?" Al asked me darkly. I hadn't even realized he'd come up behind me. I nodded. He seemed about as pleased with it as I did.

We stood in silence for a while longer before Dom spotted Reese Abbott by the drinks table and sent us a suggestive smile over her shoulder as she approached him. I rolled my eyes at her predictability before spotting Adrian across the room as well. Al must have spotted him, too, because he snorted in disgust. I bristled and felt the sudden urge to go over and talk to him just to spite my cousin. That was why I shouldn't drink in any amount. I was a lightweight to begin with, and my developing buzz was telling me going over to Adrian was an excellent idea. Of course, why shouldn't I listen to it?

"I'll see you later, Al," I told him breezily.

"Wait, are you actually going to talk to him?" He asked, disbelieving.

"Yes, I am."

He opened his mouth to say something more but I ignored him. I didn't realize I was completely ditching Emily, and I'm not sure if I would have cared given my anger with my cousin at the moment. Adrian smiled as he saw me coming, until I slipped through the last couple of people and he got a full look at me for the first time. His eyes bugged out of his head and I grinned.

"Wow, Red, you look…" He trailed off.

I blushed. "Er, thanks. Courtesy of Dominique."

We talked for a long while, and it felt just like it did last year. I spotted Emily and Albus laughing easily with each other in a couple of chairs, and was glad he hadn't left her to her own devices. I forgot they probably saw a lot more of each other than they usually did now that Emily was with James, so it wouldn't be that awkward for them to be left alone. Albus must have sensed me watching them, because his eyes flickered to mine. He took in the sight of me beside Adrian and his eyes narrowed slightly. I frowned back at him, finally getting the push I needed to make the decision.

"You know what," I cut Adrian off, turning to him suddenly, "I don't need a few days. I made my decision the second you asked, but I had to give myself time to think it over first."

He looked surprised, understandably, and a bit apprehensive. "Er, ok? What did you decide?"

I smiled at him. "I still love you, too, Adrian. I miss you, and I think we should give it another go."

He grinned widely and leaned in to kiss me. I smiled into the kiss, welcoming the familiarity of his lips against mine and his arms around my waist.

"Adrian, when you've got a moment for air," A voice drawled behind us. We broke apart and I blushed slightly. I turned to face Alex, Adrian's twin sister. Perfect. Alex and I had never really gotten on well. Sure, we were cordial, but there was a strange tension just beneath the surface of our pleasantries. I wasn't sure what I'd done to her, but she had always been this way. Maybe it was just her Slytherin personality coming out in full force.

"Alex," I stated by way of greeting, smiling for Adrian's benefit.

"Rose," she replied shortly, barely sparing me a glance. "I see you two wasted no time. I'm taking off, Ade."

Adrian nodded and Alex headed off, sparing me a short glare before turning away. Well, wouldn't this be fun.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so there it is! Reviews are love!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The second day of classes went just as well as the first. The same speeches were repeated once again, and we suffered through them in bored silence. Yesterday, we'd been a bit more anxious, but it kind of lost that quality after it was repeated more than three times. Al, Emily, Scorpius, and I had double potions after lunch, and Professor Derrick didn't disappoint us.

"This year will be a test: a test of your knowledge, a test of your skills. You will face challenges in this class that will push the boundaries of your capabilities. Those of you wishing to be Aurors will find out if you truly have what it takes. I will be testing you under pressure at least once a month to see how well you handle it. I will also be constantly changing up the groups this year. You need to be used to working with anyone and everyone, because the real world doesn't let you pick your partners. To begin you may work with the person you are sitting beside. We will be brewing…"

I tuned out the rest of what Professor Derrick was saying as I flipped to the correct page in my book. This year was definitely going to be intense. I looked over at Al sitting beside Scorpius and wondered vaguely how he would do working with other classmates. For the past six years Al and Scorpius had only been partners with each other. By this point, they knew each other so well I wasn't sure if they would be able to perform as well with anyone else. At least this would prepare Al for Auror training a bit. As far as I knew, Scorpius had no intentions of becoming an Auror. I really didn't know what he planned to do, but I'm sure it didn't involve the Ministry of Magic in any way. As my dad always said, everyone would think the Ministry was mad the day it employed a Malfoy again.

* * *

My meeting with Professor Longbottom was a week after classes started. I was already so bogged down by homework that I hadn't even considered what I was going to say to the Head of Gryffindor House. I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew what interested me, but there was no way I could make a career out of it. Best to just leave it be.

"So, Miss Weasley, how is your term coming along so far?" Professor Longbottom asked, smiling warmly as I sat.

"So far so good. A lot of work, though," I replied, laughing a bit.

"Ah, yes. I remember my seventh year. It was a tad different than all the others," he told me, referring to its interruption by the War, "But once I went back to finish it up, the workload was definitely taller than a giant."

I liked Professor Longbottom's approachability, and I knew it was a big factor in his popularity among the students. It still felt like he understood what we were going through and could relate to us.

"So, have you given any thought to what you'd like to do after graduation? When we spoke in fifth year you mentioned, er, now where did I put that…?" He trailed off, sifting through the papers in the folder. He was a bit disorganized. "Right. Here we are. You mentioned going into the Ministry after school. The, er, Muggle Relations department, correct?"

"Yes." Before I knew it I was spewing lies. I told him that I was still interested in Muggle Relations, and smiled as he gave me the brochure and checked my schedule to make sure I was on track. I kept the charade up right until I walked out the door, sighing in relief as it closed behind me. Thank Merlin that was over. I headed back to the dorm, dropping the brochure on the table as I walked through the common area. I retrieved my Potions book from my trunk and brought it back out to the table only to find Scorpius already there, brochure in hand.

"Muggle Relations? Really, Weasley?" He asked, frowning.

"Yes. What's wrong with that?" I snapped, snatching the brochure from him.

"Nothing," he said, holding his hands up in defence, "I just didn't peg you as one who would be happy dealing with Muggles for the rest of her life."

"There's nothing wrong with Muggles. My grandparents are Muggles."

"That's different. They're your grandparents. They love you. You'd likely be dealing with Muggles who know about magic, but either don't like it, fear it, or are just generally annoying. You'd work with the Muggle Prime Minister a lot to spin press releases on magical incidents to make them suitable for the general Muggle population, and make sure we don't end up getting exposed and hunted down. Doesn't really seem like your thing."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked.

Scorpius shrugged, "My grandmother on my mother's side was in Muggle Relations for a while. Quit after about five years, saying they drove her batty."

"Oh. Well, I'm not decided on it yet. It's just an option."

He studied me shrewdly. "An option or a distraction to get people off your back about it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't."

He didn't give me a chance to reply before turning and heading to his room.

* * *

I met up with Adrian that night to do homework, though not much homework actually got done. The next few weeks proceeded in much the same manner. I knew no one could really understand why Adrian and I had gotten back together so quickly, and naturally rumors circulated that we'd just taken a break over the summer so we could see other people. I tried my best to ignore them, but Dominique made it a tad difficult when she repeated every single one of them back to me over dinner. She was very much against the reconciliation and was not shy about it. At least Al had the decency to stew in silence. I couldn't really understand why she was so opposed to it. I was happy, and that was all she claimed to want. Apparently that didn't extend to my being happy with Adrian.

One thing Dom was whole-heartedly supportive of, however, was my budding friendship with Scorpius. Despite our dislike of each other the last six years, sharing a dormitory had at least forced us to interact on a daily basis. Over the past few weeks, I would say that the animosity between us had almost disappeared. I was pretty sure I'd faked it for long enough that I'd almost made it. I couldn't put the tip of my wand on the exact moment it happened, but Scorpius's sense of humour was suddenly funny to me, instead of insulting. Maybe it was because I'd finally made the honest effort Albus was looking for, or maybe it was just because of our sudden close proximity making it a necessity. Either way, the two of us were actually getting along. The smug part of me was glad. If we could keep this up until the end of the year, everyone would lose the bet.

After some digging, I'd found out who'd chosen which month. Ben had February, Dominique took December, Em was January, Gage showed the least optimism in choosing October, James even put in for November. Albus showed the most faith in his two best friends, taking June. He claimed that if he could like both of us equally, then we should be able to get along with each other, though he acknowledged that we both kind of went off the wall around finals time, so we could very well manage to kill each other in a stress-induced frenzy. Of course, they didn't actually think we would kill each other in the literal sense, but perhaps a few well-aimed hexes.

Despite their months beginning to pass by and eliminating them from the betting pool, everyone seemed glad we were managing to get along. It was much easier on everyone when the two of us weren't at each other's throats all the time. The one person who wasn't happy about our developing friendship was Adrian. He took every opportunity to make sure I knew that, too. In truth, it was getting a bit irritating. It wasn't like there was anything going on between Scorpius and I. Adrian had no reason to be so jealous and possessive. He hardly left my side anymore. At first I was ok with it, considering it had been two months since we'd seen each other, but now I was starting to feel suffocated. If we weren't in class he insisted we meet in the library, or I would bring him back to the dorm with me. Scorpius would usually appear during those times, and Adrian would get all possessive and hostile, which usually ended in me suggesting we go to the library instead. I loved Adrian, really, but no matter how many times I said he didn't need to worry, he still made a big deal out of Scorpius. His inability to be mature about it was shocking to me. I'd hoped that he'd get over it as time went on and he saw that my sharing living space with another guy didn't mean I was going to cheat on him.

Alex wasn't helping matters any. Scorpius and I shared pretty much the same schedule, with only two different courses from each other. Of course, we were in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes together, and luckily for everyone, Alex was also in Arithmancy. She wasted no time in telling Adrian all about our interactions in each class afterward. It wasn't like we did anything inappropriate. We were sort of friends, if that. Adrian had a lot of friends who were girls and I wasn't a territorial witch about it.

"So how was class?' Adrian asked, kissing my cheek as he sat down beside me in the library.

"Good," I replied vaguely. I knew he was fishing for an account of my classes which included all interactions with Scorpius. I was not in the mood for this today. Was it too much to ask to just enjoy an afternoon with my boyfriend? Was it too much to ask that he trust me?

To his credit, Adrian seemed to pick up on my irritation. "So, the first Hogsmeade weekend is coming up next week. Want to go for the afternoon?"

I smiled. "Sure. I have to meet my parents in the morning, but want to meet in the Three Broomsticks at one o'clock?"

Adrian smiled. "Sounds perfect."

* * *

My homework load didn't improve over the week. In fact, by the time the Hogsmeade weekend rolled around, I was almost drowning in it. I had three feet of parchment and two diagrams due in Herbology, a chapter to read in Alchemy, two and a half feet of parchment in Potions, and a two-foot translation in Ancient Runes all due on Monday. I also needed to read two chapters of Muggle Studies, practise silent Vanishing, Levitation, and defensive spells, as well as finish the next patrol schedule for Tuesday. That wasn't even considering my homework for the rest of the week.

Which was why I woke myself at eight in the morning on the Saturday of the Hogsmeade trip in the hopes of getting at least one thing done before I spent the majority of the day with my parents and Adrian. I was much more awake than I thought I would be as I tied my hair up into a ponytail, not bothering to shower or change out of my pyjamas. It wasn't like I expected Scorpius to be awake. After all, it was eight on a Saturday. I selected the schoolwork I wanted to get done based on that assumption, and headed out into the common area so I wouldn't be tempted to go back to bed.

Imagine my surprise to find him seated on the couch by the fireplace. Before I could turn around and retreat, he looked up and spotted me.

"I should have figured you'd be up," he said.

"I, er, needed to get some work done before my date with Adrian this afternoon. Why are you up this early, Malfoy?"

"Same as you," he replied, and then amended, "Except I don't have a date with Davies. He's not really my type."

I laughed. A few weeks ago I would have found that offensive, but now I wasn't sure what was offensive about it. "I think that puts the female population of this school at ease."

I made to turn around to my bedroom, but he stopped me, saying that I could stay. I debated internally for a couple of seconds before taking a seat in one of the armchairs awkwardly and opening my book quickly, hoping he wouldn't catch the title.

"Alchemy?" He asked. My heart dropped.

"Er, yeah," I replied, dropping my head to study my book.

"I didn't know you were in Alchemy."

"Um, yeah. I'd, er, appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone, not even Al," I mumbled, feeling my cheeks heat up. I'd managed to keep my enrollment in the class a secret all through last year.

"Wait, no one knows you're in it? How is that even possible?"

"Probably in the same way it's possible for no one to know you're in Magical Law," I retorted, eyeing his book. There was no other class it could possibly be assigned for, given the legal jargon that covered the page it was opened to. Alchemy and Magical Law were just a couple of optional classes that opened in availability starting in sixth year.

"How do you know no one else knows about it?" He asked.

"Al never mentioned it in his numerous defences of your character. It seems like the sort of thing he would use to your advantage."

"True. So same goes for you, Weasley. This stays between us."

I nodded in agreement. Wouldn't Al be proud? We were keeping each other's secrets now.

* * *

I headed down to breakfast at around nine-thirty, squeezed in a bit more homework, and then it was off to Hogsmeade to meet my parents at eleven.

"Rosie!" Dad greeted me, smiling widely. Mum hugged me quickly, more reserved than Dad, as always. We ordered Butterbeers and waited for Hugo to join us. He ambled in at half past eleven, late as always. The hugs were issued, a fourth Butterbeer was brought to the table, and lunch was ordered.

As we ate, Al and Scorpius came into the Three Broomsticks. I smiled and beckoned them over. Scorpius smiled back briefly, said something to Al, slapped him on the shoulder, and headed off in search of a table while Al made his way over to us. I watched Scorpius circle the tables on the other side, finally admitting defeat and heading in our direction. I smothered a snicker and Al turned from answering Dad's question to see what the source of my amusement was.

"Nothing over there?" He asked as Scorpius approached.

He shook his blonde head, shoving his hands in his pockets as he greeted my parents, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, sir."

I could feel the situation becoming increasingly awkward as Dad tried to look at anything except the Malfoy standing in front of him. Mum smiled kindly as she returned his greeting and Dad mumbled something incoherent. I knew it had to be hard, looking at someone who reminded you so much of an old enemy, but I wished Dad could at least _pretend_. Wow. Did I just express irritation at the judgement of Scorpius Malfoy?

After a few more moments of conversation about the Quidditch season, Albus excused himself.

"I'll see you later, Rose?" He asked.

"Sure thing. See you guys," I replied, smiling again. They shot me identical grins as they headed off toward the corner.

I turned back to the table, taking in Dad's frown.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Did you just- I must be mistaken, I thought you just _smiled_ at Scorpius Malfoy."

"That would be because I did, Dad." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Is there some law against it?"

"Rosie, you promised me-"

"That I wouldn't let him step a toe out of line, and he hasn't, Dad," I interrupted, "Not that it's any of your concern, but we have been getting on very well."

I watched as he sputtered for a moment before yelping. I expect Mum kicked him under the table.

Nothing else was mentioned on the subject of Scorpius as we finished our food. I didn't quite escape my parents quickly enough, and we ran into Adrian as he was coming to meet me. After a few awkward moments in which my Dad tried to intimidate Adrian, I firmly said goodbye and rushed him in the opposite direction.

"Sorry about that," I sighed once we were out of earshot.

Adrian grinned easily, taking my hand. "No worries. It's a father's job to protect his daughter."

'Especially after what I pulled' was unspoken, but I knew we were both thinking it. In an effort to fight the sudden tension, I smiled and squeezed his hand, leading him to Zonko's. I had never been one of those girly girls who wanted to go to Madam Puddifoot's.

It seemed like luck wasn't on my side today, though, because I opened the door and spotted Albus and Scorpius across the shop. Adrian stiffened slightly at the sight of them and I bit my lip to stop myself from commenting. Today was supposed to be fun. It was supposed to bring us closer and diffuse the tension that had been growing over the past month. I couldn't explain it, but something didn't feel quite the same about us. Hopefully today would fix that.

"Hey guys," I said, mostly to be polite. I was trying to avoid more awkward situations, but I couldn't very well ignore them.

"Hey, Rose," Al returned, his eyes flicking to Adrian briefly as he muttered, "Davies."

"Potter," Adrian replied, his face stony.

I pushed through the tension, turning my eyes to Scorpius as Adrian looped his arm around my waist. I suppressed a grimace at the obvious gesture of possession. I was _not_ anyone's property. "Hey, look, I'm sorry about my dad earlier. He just… He holds onto grudges."

Scorpius made a dismissive gesture. "It's ok. I'm used to it."

I frowned. "You shouldn't be."

He shrugged, "It is what it is."

For some reason, it bothered me more than it normally would have. I wasn't sure what was going on. Last year, I was perfectly content to ignore Scorpius, and the years before that, I was one of the most outspoken advocates of how awful he was. In truth, few people really held anything against Socrpius anymore. Once it became clear that he and Albus were on their way to an epic bromance, the school seemed to accept him. Whether Albus liked it or not, he held sway because of his last name. The other first years, and some of the second years, took their cues from him. Now, with James gone, he was the one everyone looked up to. I knew he hated it, but he'd learned to deal with it.

"Hey, let's go check out the Shrieking Shack," Adrian interrupted my reply, pulling me toward the exit. I barely had time to wave before he had the door closed behind us.

"What's up with you?" I asked him, frowning.

"Nothing," he replied shortly.

I remained silent until we got to the Shack, and then turned on him. "Something's bothering you."

"I just don't think stopping to talk to Malfoy while on a date is really necessary. If you'd rather be out with him-"

"Are you kidding me right now?" I asked, incredulously. "I'm going out with _you_, and the suggestion that I would rather be out with Scorpius is so far out of line."

"Glad to see you guys are on a first name basis now," he snapped. I paused, running over my last sentence in my head and realizing he was right. I'd done it unintentionally, but it was the first time I'd called him by his first name out loud.

"So what if we are?" I snapped back. "We _do_ share a common room! We're bound to get along better living in such close proximity!"

"What happened to you?" He asked, staring at me like he'd never seen me before. "The Rose I know would never be calling him Scorpius or defending him."

I was silent for a moment, pondering his question. Was it true? Was I different? "Maybe I'm just finally seeing how unfair I've been."

"Unfair?"

"Yes, Adrian. I've spent all these years judging him on his last name, just like so many others, but I'm one of the last ones hanging onto it. Maybe I'm finally seeing how unfair I've been to him. I've never actually gotten to know him as Scorpius. He's always been Malfoy."

"Yes, because he _is_ a Malfoy!"

"I think I'm starting to realize he's more than just a Malfoy. He's not his father any more than I am my mother."

"Where is this coming from? It isn't like you."

"I don't know, maybe I'm finally understanding what Albus kept going on about all these years."

"Because of all that time you guys spend alone?" He sneered.

My temper had reached the boiling point. "Yes, Adrian, because of _all_ the time we spend alone in the common room. We've barely had five conversations."

This only seemed to make him angrier. "Wow, well if you can come around after all of five conversations, maybe I should just bow out now to save you the trouble of tossing me once your next five lead you into his bed."

Smack!

I gasped, throwing the hand that had just connected with Adrian's cheek over my mouth.

"Adrian, I-" I started in a whisper. I couldn't believe I had actually slapped him. What he'd said was offensive, but I'd never hit anyone before in my life.

He gingerly touched his cheek and squared his jaw. Without a word, he turned and headed back in the direction we'd come, leaving me alone in front of the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

I made my way back up to the castle slowly, turning the situation over in my mind again and again. As I considered it, my earlier anger returned. Adrian had deserved it, suggesting that I would jump into bed with Scorpius. It was ridiculous. By the time I got up to the dormitory, I was fuming again.

"How was your date?" Scorpius asked in an almost teasing tone.

His question put me in such a foul mood that I ignored him and stalked past, heading for my room and slamming the door behind me.

I threw my shoe at the wall as I heard his distant, "That good, huh?"

* * *

I emerged for dinner, thankful Scorpius was already gone. I couldn't deal with him right now.

Dom eyed me as I sat down beside her. "What happened?"

I tried to look innocent. "Nothing."

"Al told me he and Scorpius ran into you and Adrian in Zonko's."

"So?"

"He said he sensed tension when Adrian pulled you away from talking to Scorpius."

"It was nothing. Just Adrian being stupid."

"I saw him going back up to the castle. He looked angry."

"Yeah, well, we had a row, okay? No big deal."

"What were you-" Dominique cut off as Emily shot her a look.

My reprieve was short-lived, however, as it was the first thing Al asked about as he sat down.

"Yes, Adrian and I had a disagreement, and yes that's why I was upset when I came back to the common room, as I'm sure Scorpius told you."

Albus frowned. "Scor didn't mention anything about it."

Dom, perceptive as always, stared at me in shock. "What did you just say?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, cursing myself for slipping up twice in one day. At this rate, I might as well just keep it up.

"You know what I mean. You just called him Scorpius."

"Ok, so I called him Scorpius. Is it that big of a deal?" I asked, stabbing a carrot.

A chorus of "Yes" came in reply. I have such good friends.

"Wait, is that why you and Adrian went at it? Because of Scorpius?" Emily asked.

There was no point denying it any longer, so I launched into an explanation. I hesitated before divulging the last bit about me slapping him.

"You seriously slapped him?!" Dom asked, in her typically high, excited voice. She seemed way too happy about this.

"Well the git _did_ suggest she'd jump into bed with Scor!" Al answered the question for me, sounding extremely offended on my behalf. "Don't worry about it, Rosie. You're better off without him."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're through with him," Dom agreed.

"Uh, I never said we were through," I corrected in a small voice. The explosion I expected came through loud and clear. Eventually, the three of them subsided in their attack when I loudly asked Emily how her date with James had gone today. Al busied himself with his treacle tart while Dom and I listened to her account.

"Well, I'm glad one of us had a good date," I told her when she finished. Before anyone could comment again, I excused myself to hopefully get a bit more work done before bed.

I found Scorpius already in the common room when I returned from grabbing my books.

"Is it alright if I join you?" I asked tentatively. He nodded, so I sat in one of the armchairs, pulling out my Potions book. After a few minutes of silence, I looked up again. "I'm, uh, sorry about earlier. Adrian and I had a row and I guess I was still a little worked up."

"No worries, Weasley."

For some reason, I felt the need to keep talking. "And I'm sorry Adrian was so rude in Zonko's."

He shrugged, still looking at his book. "He didn't even talk to me."

"No, but he was still a prat."

Finally, he looked up, his eyes piercing mine. "What is it that you really want to say, Weasley?"

"I, er, I don't know what you mean," I replied, bewildered.

"You're dancing around something. What are you trying to say?"

"I just- well- I realized today that I may have been wrong to treat you like I have all these years, and it may not have been fair."

"Is that supposed to be an apology?" He asked, sounding half amused and half disgusted.

"Er, yes?" I replied, unsure of why I was even saying any of this.

He snorted, turning back to his book. "Not that I need your apology, but usually they involve the word 'sorry'. You really need to work on that."

I wasn't sure what to say, so I said nothing, instead changing the subject. "Why didn't you tell Al that I came in here all upset?"

"Didn't seem like my business."

"Oh. Well, uh, thanks."

"Don't mention it, Weasley."

We continued to work in silence for a while before he spoke up. "I take it Davies didn't like your change of heart?"

I shook my head. "Not really. He didn't understand how I could start defending you all of the sudden. He said I was different. And, of course, me calling you 'Scorpius' really set him off, and then I had to go and slap him…"

I didn't know where it all came from and I could tell he wasn't sure either.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine. You slapped him?"

I blushed slightly. "Er, yeah. He was upset that we were 'on a first name basis' and basically told me he figured I was going to hop into bed with you because of it. So I, er, slapped him."

"Wow," was all he said for a while, and then added, confused, "We aren't really on a first name basis."

I blushed even more, before having a sudden rush of boldness. I'm not sure what made me say it, but before I could consider the consequences, I blurted out, "Maybe we should be."

His face was unreadable for a full minute. I held my breath until his lips twitched in a small smile. "Ok then… Rose."

It was strange, hearing my first name coming from him. I decided I liked it. "Alright… Scorpius."

* * *

**A/N: Ok, that was a long one. Very lackluster ending, I know, but I had nothing else to make it any better. No worries, Adrian will soon be vanishing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Adrian spent the next few days avoiding me and shooting me glares whenever he spotted me in a group containing Scorpius. I tried not to let it bother me, but the effort was unsuccessful. Scorpius and I continued to get warmer toward each other with our agreement to use each other's first names, which really wasn't helping matters. Spotting Adrian glaring at us as he appeared down the hall from our waiting Charms class, Scorpius turned toward me.

"You know, you shouldn't feel guilty. What he said was out of line," he said, sensing the guilt rolling off me in waves.

I sighed in resignation. "I know, but I can't help it. He gets mad at me for being friendly with you and we only continue to get on better afterward."

"I suppose we are, aren't we? Al asked me why that is yesterday and I couldn't give him an answer. Why do you suppose you don't suddenly despise me with every fibre of your being?" He asked casually.

"I didn't- Ok, maybe I did. I don't know. Maybe I've finally let go of all those baseless judgements I clung to all these years."

"So you admit it was your fault?"

I whacked him on the shoulder. "Don't blame_ just_ me. You purposely provoked me."

"Ok, you have a point. We both played a role," he conceded as Adrian came even with the group. He leaned in closer to me as Adrian glanced over. "What do you expect he thinks I'm saying right now?" He breathed into my ear. A small chill ran down my spine, likely the result of a draft.

Rolling my eyes, I responded with heavy exasperation, "Don't bait him. It'll only make it worse."

"Oh, come on. Don't take everything so seriously. I, personally, would really like to see his head explode. It looks like he's almost there."

I said nothing, glancing in Adrian's direction and seeing his completely red, frowning face as he glanced back in our direction. It did look like his head was almost ready to explode.

"He kind of looks like a mandrake," I commented, without thinking. Scorpius's bark of laughter brought Adrian's eyes back around to us. I felt immediately guilty and groaned. "I am the worst girlfriend ever."

"No, you're angry with good reason. If anything, he should be the one feeling guilty, not you."

My retort was cut off by Professor Chang coming out to usher us into the classroom. Dom, Emily, and Albus hurried in together before she closed the door. Dom and I slid into a pair of seats in front of Scorpius and Al as Emily sat beside Ben. Dom looked quizzically at me as I opened my book. She was probably wondering what was going on before they arrived, but considering nothing had been, I turned my attention to the front and ignored her look.

* * *

Arithmancy was an altogether uncomfortable experience. Scorpius and I sat together in the middle of the room, and Alex flounced in after us.

"Hi, Rose!" She greeted me breezily. It was the most cheerful acknowledgment I'd ever gotten from her. Probably because she sensed how close she was getting to finally having me gone, as she'd always wanted.

"Hi," I replied, warily.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"I guess so?"

"Adrian wanted me to give this to you," she said, handing me a folded piece of paper. "I'll be sure to tell him I delivered it."

"Thanks," I snapped, knowing she meant that she'd tell Adrian that she delivered the note while I was sitting beside Scorpius. "I'm so glad we could be mature about this," I muttered as she walked to the back of the room.

At Scorpius's raised eyebrow, I explained Alex's new hobby of telling Adrian all about our classroom interactions. He laughed, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of it all while Alex glared on. I completely agreed. It was like we were twelve again instead of adults.

I unfolded the note as the lesson started, reading Adrian's request for me to meet him after classes let out. I sighed. Alex was obviously so cheerful because she expected this to be the end of us. As I thought about it, I wasn't sure how I felt about the prospect anymore.

* * *

I approached the lake nervously, wondering what was going to happen. My anger had ebbed away over the last few days, leaving me slightly apprehensive about what our first conversation would bring.

"Hey," he said as he caught sight of me.

"Hi," I replied stiffly.

"So… I shouldn't have blown up at you. I'm sorry."

I breathed a sigh of relief. The apology may be a bit understated, but I'd take it. Adrian was the one constant I could count on this year, and I didn't want to lose that stability.

"No, you shouldn't have."

"Forgive me?" He asked, smiling in a pleading way. I was a sucker for him.

* * *

"I can't believe you caved," Dom raged at me over dinner that night.

"Dom, can we just drop it?" I was tired of this. Thankfully, she fell silent at my request.

I left dinner without finishing and rose from the table with muttered excuses. I just wanted to get away from the judgement coming at me from three different directions.

I was reading my Alchemy chapter when Scorpius came back from dinner and flopped onto the couch, staring at me. After a while I couldn't ignore him any longer.

"Yes, Scorpius?"

"Do you ever take a break?" He asked, gesturing to the book.

I shook my head. "There will be time for breaks after the year is over."

"Wow. I knew you had an obsession with school, but I had no idea it was this far along."

"I am _not_ obsessed with it. I just want to do well."

"You did well last year and you didn't study this much."

"Yeah, well last year wasn't as important. This year determines-"

"What we do for the rest of our lives," Scorpius finished for me in a bored voice, "I know. I heard the fifteen speeches at the beginning of the year. What they don't tell you is to enjoy being a student while you still can. This is the last year for us to be irresponsible teenagers before real life starts. So…" Before I realized what he was doing, he reached out and snatched my book from me with the agility of a Seeker. I made an exclamation of protest that fell on deaf ears as he continued his sentence, "Put the books away for one night and lighten up."

"I already gave up the first night of term, plus most of Saturday for the Hogsmeade trip," I pointed out.

"You seriously think two days in two months counts? No." I must have looked anxious, because he grinned widely. "It'll be painless, Rose, I promise."

"What exactly does your idea of 'lightening up' entail?" I asked, nervous about his idea of 'fun'.

"Not to worry, nothing too risky. A trip down to the kitchens, for starters."

"Why?"

"Because you skipped out early on dinner," he replied, already heading toward the portrait hole. I scrambled out of my chair to follow him.

"How do you know that?"

"I saw you leaving before the other three were done." His tone indicated he was trying to brush it off, but I was left to wonder how he'd noticed me leaving in a hall filled with people.

We were almost to the kitchens when Scorpius paused. "Ok, so the door to the kitchens is-"

"You think that you and Al are the only ones who know your way around this place?" I challenged, cutting him off and striding up to the painting hiding the kitchen door and tickling the pear. He put his hands up in apology before gesturing for me to lead the way.

We made it back to the dormitory with no incident, resuming our places by the fire.

"Ok, so now that we've walked on the edge, what's next?" I asked, interested despite myself.

He laughed. "You think _that_ is walking on the edge?"

"Ok, so it wasn't really."

"Not even close. I toned down the risky portion of tonight's program just for you."

"And I thank you," I replied sardonically.

"I aim to please," he countered, grinning suggestively. I snorted and rolled my eyes good-naturedly.

"So then what do we do now? Play truth or dare?" I asked teasingly.

"Well if that's what you want to do…"

My eyes widened, "I was only joking."

"Too late. Truth or dare it is!" He paused for a moment to consider, "But let's modify it and just call it truth. I wouldn't want you to have to get involved in anything too risky…"

I shot him a glare but let it go. If we played actual truth or dare I would feel significantly more juvenile than I already did.

"Ok, ladies first," I said quickly, "What's your favourite color?"

He chuckled. "Original one, you are. Green."

"Figures. You're such a Slytherin."

"Easy, Weasley. We still have a long time ahead of us here. Let's save the antagonistic comments for later. Tell me your favourite color."

"Blue," I spoke without thinking. He looked at me in surprise, but I merely shrugged. "Favourite holiday?"

"Summer break." Not surprising. "Why is your favourite colour blue and not red?"

He caught me off guard by not immediately asking the same question back to me, which is what I blamed on my unexpected honesty. "There's just something about it that's so soothing. It relaxes me. I tell everyone it's red because I'm in Gryffindor, and that's what they expect, but I hate the color red. I look at it every time I look in a mirror and I'm sick of it."

Neither of us seemed to know what to say to my outburst, and I quickly tried to cover it with my question. "Least favourite holiday?"

"Halloween."

It was my turn to look at him in surprise. "Halloween is my least favourite holiday, too."

"I always wondered why you didn't go to the feast," he mused.

"The whole concept is ridiculous. Kids dress up as vampires and ghosts and witches and wizards, blissfully ignorant to the fact that they really exist. It feels hypocritical to celebrate a holiday that tells people we aren't real."

"But you get a feast out of it!"

"You are such a guy."

"Glad to see you noticed," he smirked, "What's the riskiest thing you've ever done?"

I blushed, the moment instantly popping into my head. "Dom may have gotten me drunk after the whole Adrian thing went down last year."

"That's it? You took a night off to get drunk during exams after your boyfriend tossed you?"

I flushed even more red. I had no idea why I was sharing this with him, but it was like I couldn't stop myself. I felt compelled to be honest. "You remember hearing about those disruptive students down in Hogsmeade at the end of May?"

He looked momentarily confused before his mouth opened in shock. "That was you and Dominique?"

I nodded mutely, studying the floor to avoid looking at him. "I mean all we did was stumble around yelling obnoxiously and bewitching things for the fun of it since our Trace was broken, but if we had gotten caught I'm sure we would have been expelled."

"Wow. I have to admit, I'm impressed. I didn't think you were capable of such debauchery."

"I'm not as innocent as I look."

He grinned, "I'm beginning to realize that."

* * *

The next morning I woke feeling guilty about taking the entire night off, but a small part of me knew I needed it. I'd actually had fun last night. With Scorpius Malfoy. We stayed up way too late, but I couldn't bring myself to fully regret it. I couldn't think of the last time I'd laughed so much.

I yawned widely as I poured milk on my cereal. Emily glanced in my direction as I did so. "Late night?"

I nodded, taking a large bite of my breakfast.

"How late were you up?"

"Around two in the morning…" I admitted sheepishly.

"You are way too dedicated to your homework, Rose. Al and I gave up on our work at half past midnight." I couldn't hide the blush that tinted my cheeks, drawing Emily's attention. "You _were_ doing homework, weren't you?"

"Not exactly…" I hedged. Sighing as I saw she wasn't going to give it up, I finished my sentence, "Scorpius insisted that I needed a night off."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "So what did you do?"

I shrugged, "Nothing really. Just talked."

"Wait a second. You and Scorpius held civil conversation until _two_ AM?"

"Yes. Is that so hard to believe? I thought you guys conceded defeat in the whole 'we're going to do each other in' thing?"

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean we thought you'd stay up until the wee hours of the morning talking. What did you even talk about?" She asked, leaning in curiously.

Shrugging again, I replied, "I don't really know. Lots of things. We actually have quite a bit in common, surprisingly. He's… interesting."

"Who's interesting?" Dom's voice sounded cheerfully behind me. Brilliant.

Emily grinned as she filled Dom in on the conversation. I sighed as the exclamations of surprise were repeated in a much louder tone than Emily had used, drawing Al's attention as he joined us. The whole thing was repeated once more.

"Wait, you spent the entire night talking to _Malfoy_?" I had the urge to drown myself in the remaining milk in my bowl as Hugo piped up from a few students down the table.

"Yes, Hugo, I did. It's not like it's that big of a deal, so can we please just forget I said anything?" I snapped.

"I bet Dad would think it was," my little brother hinted.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I don't care what Dad thinks. If it was anyone else this wouldn't be such a big deal. This is ridiculous. I forgot my book in my room. I'll see you guys in Potions."

I really had forgotten my book, so I left the table without another word, leaving my brother speechless. Sometimes I really wished he would just grow up instead of trying to hold things like this over my head. Maybe last year Hugo would have gotten a reaction out of me, but not this year. I was seventeen now, so there really wasn't anything my parents could do to stop me from talking to whomever I pleased.

"Hey, babe," Adrian's voice came from behind me as an arm slipped around my waist. I hid my cringe fairly well. I hated pet names like 'babe'. Adrian rarely used them, but he was probably trying to overcompensate. Who really wants to be called something that is completely dependent on another human being? It was basically calling me an invalid.

"Morning!" I replied, trying for a cheer I didn't quite feel.

"Late night?" He asked.

I hated how transparent I was as I nodded. Before anything else could be said, we were interrupted by yet another voice behind us.

"Rose! Hey, Rose!"

I turned around to see Scorpius dodging a couple of first years as he jogged toward us, carrying my forgotten book.

"I saw this on the table as I was leaving this morning."

"Thanks." I took the book from him and shoved it in my already stuffed bag. "How are you not tired right now?" I demanded as I looked back up to find him perfectly alert.

"I'm used to staying up late with pretty girls," he winked suggestively, "I've trained myself to live off as little sleep as possible."

I laughed at his comment until I felt the stiffening of Adrian's arm. I'd forgotten he was there. That certainly wasn't going to help matters. The smile dropped off my face as tension filled the air between us.

"Right. I'll, er, see you in Potions," Scorpius muttered, running a hand through his hair as he backed away.

"What was that all about?" Adrian demanded as soon as he was out or earshot.

I sighed loudly. I was too tired to be dealing with this. "Nothing. We just had a late night is all. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal? My girlfriend is staying up all hours of the night with another guy, Scorpius Malfoy no less, and it's not a big deal?"

"I don't see how who it is makes it a bigger deal… I'm your girlfriend, not your property, Adrian."

"Yeah, well you'd never know that with you two flirting like I'm not here!"

I rolled my eyes again. Pretty soon they were going to get stuck. "We were not flirting. Why are you being so insecure about this?"

"I am not insecure. I just don't like you flirting with another guy in front of me! Everyone knows Scorpius Malfoy is only interested in one thing."

"Oh, Merlin! Are we seriously back at this again? Can't we just go one week without you implying that I'm a whore?"

"I'm not. I'm saying he's only being so nice to you because he thinks it'll be a challenge. Guys like a challenge."

"You're being ridiculous. We're friends. I'm with _you_. This wasn't a problem last year. You were fine with me being friends with Ben. Why are you suddenly so jealous of me being friends with a guy?"

"Last year the guy wasn't Scorpius Malfoy. I'm not going to stand back while he makes a play at my girlfriend."

I threw my hands up in exasperation, suddenly realizing that the halls were almost empty. We were going to be late now. "This is impossible. You're being ridiculous and I don't have time for this. Why don't you just let me know when you've resolved your issues?"

"Rose-"

"No, I'm sick of this, Adrian. I thought you'd gotten over this when you apologized for last time. I'm going to be late."

I didn't look back as I hurried down to the dungeons, slipping in just as Professor Derrick finished assigning partners.

"Ah, Miss Weasley, nice of you to join us. Here I thought Mr. Malfoy would have the misfortune of having to work alone," he said as I slipped through the door. Of course I would be paired with Scorpius today.

He raised his eyebrows as I slammed my books down beside him. "Everything alright?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," I snapped, moving to the store cupboard for the ingredients we would need.

"Everything ok?" Emily's voice asked from beside me as I grabbed the boomslang skin.

"Fine."

"You don't look fine. What happened?"

"Adrian and I just had a minor disagreement. He seems to think I was flirting with Scorpius in front of him. I happen to disagree," I replied evenly, reaching for the salamander blood.

Emily stopped what she was doing, gaping at me. "He thought what?"

I shrugged. "He's still being a prat. I told him to come find me when he got over it."

"You mean you didn't end it?" She asked, not even pretending to be looking for ingredients anymore.

"No. Em, this guy isn't the same Adrian. The guy from last year is still in there, I just have to give him time to get over this irrational jealousy. We're just in a rough patch. We can get through this."

"Why do you keep clinging to this relationship? You haven't been properly happy in a long while, Rose."

I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could even decide what I was going to say, Professor Derrick's voice came from behind us. "Ladies, I was not aware that my class was a social event. What fascinating topic are we gossiping about?"

"Nothing. Sorry sir," we mumbled in unison, ducking our heads and hurrying back to our respective tables.

Scorpius eyed me as I returned to the table. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing. Are Davies's knickers in a twist because I made a joke?" He asked, beginning to chop ginger roots.

"Actually, yes," I told him through my teeth, measuring out the salamander blood, "He is under the impression that you were _flirting_ with me."

Scorpius laughed, only angering me more. How could he find this funny? "He's upset because I was flirting with you? Come off it. Surely blokes have flirted with you before."

"He was more upset because he reckons _I_ was flirting with _you_," I corrected, "Which, of course, is completely ridiculous."

"Most definitely ridiculous," he agreed, moving to add the boomslang skin.

My brain caught up with our full conversation after a few moments of silence. "Wait. You asked if he was upset because you were flirting with me."

"Yes?"

"Meaning that you were flirting with me?"

He snorted, turning away to double-check his book. When he turned back, his familiar smarmy grin was plastered on his face. "Trust me, Weasley. When I flirt with you, you'll know it."

I pushed aside the part of me that already knew it. This was Scorpius Malfoy. His reflex was to flirt with anything feminine; that didn't mean he realized he was doing it. Obviously he hadn't meant to flirt with me, so I should just let it go.

Our potion was coming along perfectly, as was Albus and his Hufflepuff partner's. I was pleasantly surprised that Albus's performance in Potions had not suffered with the changes in partners, but rather risen. Of course, I hadn't thought he would fail, but getting too comfortable with a partner could leave you so accustomed to them that you were unable to work as well with someone who didn't have their habits. Familiarity could also lead to laziness. Sometimes falling into the same routine was so natural and familiar that you didn't realize how much more you could be if you struck out on your own.

"Do you find it more difficult without Al for a partner?" I asked suddenly, without really thinking.

He understood what I meant, even though I hadn't specified. "A bit, I guess. It's just different, having to adapt after six years of being his partner. What about you? You worked with Emily the last couple of years."

I shrugged, "I guess. We don't have quite the bromance you and Al do, though," I teased.

He laughed, poking the flames beneath the cauldron with his wand to turn up the temperature. "He, uh, asked me to get a place with him after Hogwarts."

I started in surprise, not sure why he was telling me this. I could tell from the look on his face he wasn't sure either. "Wow, that's fast to be making arrangements. It's only the end of October."

"I think it's the only time Al's planned ahead in his life," he agreed.

"Are you going to do it?" I asked, knowing there had to be a question or some kind of information he wanted out of me about this. Why else would he bring it up?

"I haven't answered yet. How do you think your family would take it?" He asked, nervousness hinting at the edges of his voice.

I was surprised, I'll admit. That was not what I expected. "Well, I don't think their reaction is what really matters, but Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny have always accepted Al's friendship with you, and Grandma Weasley certainly gives you a warm welcome when you come round. It's not like they could forbid Al if they wanted to, though."

He nodded, saying nothing in reply.

I waited a beat before asking the question burning in my mind. "Why?"

Shrugging, he tried to keep his voice casual as he replied, "I wouldn't want Al to get disowned or anything over me."

His words clicked it all into place. Honestly, I never thought Scorpius would be one to consider such a thing with such seriousness. I hadn't really expected him to even give it a thought. Clearly, he cared about Al a lot more than I gave him credit for. I used to just be angry with him for stealing my best friend, but I didn't think that maybe he thought the same of me. We'd spent so many years warring over our friendships with Al that we hadn't given thought to what the other actually shared with him. I'd assumed Scorpius was just a phase Albus was going through, and as the years dragged on I got more and more desperate for my assumption to be proven correct. I didn't ever stop to consider that they had a genuine friendship and actually cared about one another. I'd finally started realizing it this year, but Scorpius's question just made it that much more clear. A Malfoy actually cared about a Potter and what their friendship could do to Al's relationship with his family. I knew Dad assumed Al would ditch Scorpius after Hogwarts, but I wasn't too sure Uncle Harry expected the same. I also couldn't see any member of our family shutting him out if he didn't. Grandma Weasley seemed to accept Scorpius, and given all the Malfoys had put her family through, it set a tone. It was Al's right to be friends with whom he pleased, as Uncle Harry told my father.

"I'm going to go take a flask up to Professor Derrick," Scorpius said abruptly into the silence. He stood quickly and headed up to the front. I hadn't realized how long I'd been occupied by my thoughts.

He returned and immediately began clearing up his portion of the supplies.

"Scorpius," I tried to interrupt his hurried movements, but he either didn't hear me, or pretended as such, because he didn't even pause. I wasn't going to let him leave thinking I agreed with him, though. On impulse, I reached out and laid my hand on his arm to catch his attention. He froze, his head spinning to meet my gaze. "No one's going to disown Albus because of your friendship, so don't worry about it."

I smiled reassuringly, and he returned a lopsided smile of his own. As I turned to finish packing away my things, I caught Emily looking at me with a knowing expression. Realizing what that probably looked like, I sighed in resignation. Maybe Adrian had a point. Scorpius and I were becoming strangely close, considering the state of our relationship two months ago. I had no idea how or why it was happening, but it felt weirdly natural to be his friend. Perhaps, if I'd let go of my grudge before this year and put in an honest effort instead of ignoring him, we'd have done this last year. Maybe I wouldn't be having all these problems with Adrian if I'd been friends with Scorpius before we got together.

I watched as Al headed up to Em's table and leaned across, grinning as he handed her notebook to her. He said something I couldn't hear, and she laughed as they turned and headed over to us. Emily and I fell behind a few steps as we headed toward Transfiguration, watching Albus and Scorpius playfully shove each other up ahead.

"So don't get mad, Rose, but," she started in after a deep breath. I knew what was coming and braced myself. "You said Adrian accused you of flirting with Scorpius. After what I just saw in there, I have to ask… Were you?"

"No, of course not!" I replied emphatically. "That wasn't what it looked like in there. We were just talking."

"Looked pretty intense…" Em commented, looking at the ground.

"It was," I replied quietly. "I don't know. We were talking about Al. It wasn't a big deal. I know we got pretty friendly pretty quickly, but maybe that was just because I shut him out for so long. I was so convinced he was this evil guy but he's really not. I guess it just took an honest effort to see that. I had to stop being so stubborn."

Emily laughed lightly at that, agreeing with me wholeheartedly. I was grateful when she let the subject go, something Dominique would never have done.

"So, have you talked to James recently?" I asked, watching as her smile slipped slightly.

"We- er, not really. He's busy with work and I'm busy with school. It just seems we can never find the time. Not to mention working around all of his parties," she added, bitterly.

"Parties? Are he and Fred still throwing those?"

After they'd moved out on their own, Fred and James had felt it necessary to host several 'house warming' bashes, including ample supplies of firewhiskey. Dom and I had gone to a couple of them, and I caught sight of Scorpius with Albus at one, but they were far too crazy for my preference. I'm sure Emily only went because James was the one throwing it, and he had a history of getting properly drunk at such events. James had a certain reputation when it came to drunken escapades, and while Emily dialled him back considerably, I knew her insecurities were still there. Her own father had cheated on her mother, divorce ensuing after a fair few years of her mother letting it go on. She wouldn't end up like her mother, I knew that much, but the only example she had of a relationship had left her scarred. Her trust issues had become a problem in her past relationships, and I knew she and James had fought because of them before.

"Yes. I know it shouldn't bother me because he does love me and wouldn't intentionally hurt me, but-" She trailed off as I nodded in understanding.

"You can trust him, but you can't trust _them_."

"Exactly. But by not trusting _them_, he says I'm not trusting him, because I don't trust they wouldn't do anything, meaning I don't trust he wouldn't reciprocate… Does that make any sense?"

Laughing, I replied, "Yes, it most definitely does."

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe you should look at the whole Adrian situation like that. It's not that he doesn't trust you. He just doesn't trust Scorpius. Really, I guess I can kind of see his twisted logic," she mused, eyeing Scorpius up ahead as she spoke.

I turned Emily's words over in my mind as we sat in the middle of the Transfiguration room. Her ability to play both sides of an argument was uncanny, given how she had ripped into me in Potions over not immediately ending things with Adrian. Both of her arguments had a point, which worried me. I knew what Dominique and Albus would have to say on the matter, and I knew it was only logical to finally put an end to these ridiculous fights we kept having, but I just couldn't give up on him. We loved each other, and that wasn't something I was ready to quit on.

Mine and Scorpius's conversation about living arrangements for after school was also on my mind. The fact that people were already starting to think about life after Hogwarts scared me. Usually, I was the first one to have a plan, yet here I sat completely unprepared while Albus was asking Scorpius to live with him. I'd assumed that Dom, Emily, and I would likely get a place after Hogwarts, but what if they didn't want that? Perhaps Emily would move in with James, or Dom would want to remain at home. For all I knew, living with my best friends was an awful idea and I should start looking for strangers seeking a roommate.

There was so much to think about I couldn't focus on one thing for too long. I tried to clear my head and concentrate solely on changing my hair colour from red to dark brown, but I couldn't help being slightly distracted. This only served to stress me out more, because for the first time in my seven year school career, I failed to master the spell before the end of the period.

"Are you feeling ok, Rose?" Albus asked as we made our way out of the classroom an hour later.

"Yeah, fine," I answered. My voice was not quite as confident as I'd hoped, and Al frowned at me before deciding to let it slide. We continued on to our final class before lunch, my brain still whirling from everything the morning had thrown at me so far. If the day kept up at this rate I wouldn't make it to dinner.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so I'll leave it there. Lots of Rose/Scorpius interaction. I tried to balance it out so it didn't move too fast but then it felt like it was going way too slow so now I think I've just transformed from a snail's pace to warp speed… But I guess it is what it is. **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ok, so the whole pre-written thing really didn't work out for me. My apologies. I'll try to be better at updating!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

"Why do you keep the whole Magical Law thing under wraps?" I asked into the silence of the common area. It had become something of a routine over the past few weeks for Scorpius and I to sit in the common room while trying to catch up on our work. It definitely made it easier to have someone to work with once we both dropped our pride and started growing more comfortable asking each other for help. Truthfully, I was still a bit uncomfortable, though. Usually I tried to figure the problem out for a good ten minutes before he'd look over, somehow know I was stumped, and force his help on me. I was appreciative, yes, but not quite ready to actively seek out help from the guy I'd spent my entire school career trying to beat. Sometimes I caught him doing the same thing, so it wasn't like I was alone in the adjustment period.

My abrupt question brought Scorpius's head snapping up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

I blushed, suddenly realizing what a personal question that was. "Sorry, forget it. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine. It just surprised me, that's all," he replied, taking a breath to gather his thoughts before continuing, "I guess I just don't want people to make judgements, you know? I mean, a Malfoy becoming a lawyer? That's bound to start gossip."

I frowned, "How so?"

We were obviously giving up on homework for the night as he put down his quill to focus on me. "Come on. A Malfoy standing up for criminals? That'll prove everyone right about my family. I hide it because I'd rather put that off until absolutely necessary."

I stared at him for a moment, assessing what he'd just said. "I don't think that's true."

"Of course it is."

"No, I think that's what you tell yourself. I think you want to pursue this because you want to stand up for those who are being judged by society. You want to give a voice to people who don't necessarily have one. I also think you don't want to tell anyone what you really want to do because then you'll have to tell them all of that and face the possibility of them laughing in your face. Or worse, accepting and respecting your reasons."

"What's worse about them respecting my reasons?" He asked, confused.

"Well if they respect your decision then you'll have standards to live up to, and the possibility that you could fail to meet those standards. You don't want the responsibility. It scares you," I answered. I suppose I could have been more tactful about it, but I had problems with thinking before I spoke around Scorpius. It was really becoming quite a nuisance.

"It scares me?" He repeated incredulously. "How would you know what scares me?"

"I don't. I shouldn't have said anything. Forget it," I muttered, turning my eyes back to my book in an effort to put a stop to the conversation.

"You know, it's funny how you can be so quick to point out that I'm keeping this quiet because I'm scared when you're doing exactly the same thing."

My head snapped back up. "What?"

"Well, it's kind of obvious. You're too afraid to tell your family about the whole alchemy thing because it's something you actually like but it doesn't fit with daddy's plans for his brilliant little girl."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I snapped.

"Yes, you do. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You don't want to disappoint your parents by telling them you like something that won't get you a job in the precious Ministry after school. Alchemy isn't exactly a stable career, is it?"

"No, it's not. Which is why I'm pursuing Muggle Relations. You can like subjects without making your entire life about them."

"Muggle Relations? You're still on that? I know that's not what you really want to do. You hate your Muggle Studies class."

"How would you know what I do and do not like?" I asked angrily.

He held up his hands in defence. "You're right. I don't. I just don't see you eagerly poring over your Muggle Studies book like you do for Alchemy."

I had to concede defeat on that one. Truth be told I _did_ hate Muggle Studies. "Fine. You win. I hate Muggle Studies, so what?"

"So why are you letting expectations push you into something you don't like?"

"The same reasons you are I expect," I replied, looking him square in the eye. For such a simple question our discussion had gotten quite heated. I wasn't sure what it was about Scorpius Malfoy that got me so defensive and riled up, but I could see in his eyes that I had a similar effect on him. Tearing my gaze from his, I glanced down at my watch, noticing the time and quickly rising to my feet. "I should go take the patrol schedules around before it gets too late."

Scorpius blinked, "Right. I'll take Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"

I nodded, handing him the correct papers and heading out before he even stood up.

* * *

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming by tonight," Adrian's voice startled me as I pinned the schedule to the Ravenclaw notice board. He'd apologized almost immediately after our last episode, and for the past couple of weeks things had been really good. It was almost the same as last year, except for one thing I couldn't quite place the tip of my wand on. I chalked it up to a bit of remaining tension over the whole rough patch, though. We were fine.

I smiled, turning to face him. "I didn't either. The patrol schedules got done early so I figured why not."

"How was your day?" He asked, pulling me closer.

"Fine. Ended up with a ton of work though. Yours?"

"About the same. I can't wait to be done with this place. Only seven more months until we're free," he sighed, sounding a lot happier at the prospect than I was.

"It's not so bad here," I hedged.

"Well, it does mean I can see you every day," he smiled, leaning in and pecking my lips affectionately.

"That it does," I agreed, grinning.

"You know, that could still happen after we graduate. We could probably see even more of each other."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been thinking. I love you, Rose."

"And I love you," I replied, still not sure where he was going.

"We were going out for a while before summer, and I think we should consider taking the next step at the end of the year."

"What do you mean? I don't think there are many more steps to take, Adrian."

"I want us to get a place together after we graduate."

I did _not_ see that coming.

* * *

"I'm sorry, he said what?" Dom asked, eyes still wide with shock.

"He asked me to move in with him, Dom," I repeated, still shocked myself.

"What did you say?" Emily questioned.

I exhaled loudly. "I said I'd think about it. I have no idea what to do here guys."

"You already know what I think," Dom chimed in. Of course I already knew what she thought.

"What do you think, Em?" I asked, desperate for a level-headed opinion.

"It doesn't matter what I think, Rose. It matters what you think."

"I think this is all going way too fast. We've only been back together for a couple of months and half that time we've spent fighting. I don't know where this came from."

"Where what came from?" Al asked, dropping into the open chair across from Emily.

"Nothing important," I replied vaguely.

"So it has to do with Davies then," he surmised.

"I have to go. I'll see you guys later," I sighed, ignoring my cousin.

"I'll walk you," Dom offered, "I have to meet Colin."

I threw her a look. She knew it was nearly after hours. At the look I received in return, I knew she wasn't planning on a return journey through the corridors tonight. Leaving Emily and Al to start in on their homework, we set out into the castle. She surprisingly said very little until we reached the point of separation, when she turned to me.

"Look, I know nothing I say is going to change your mind, but just be careful, alright?"

I nodded mutely, and she squeezed my hand before heading off to the Room of Requirement. I stared after her until she turned the corner, still unsure about what to do.

* * *

My mid-year meeting with Professor Longbottom was only a few days away and I didn't really have anything to tell him. I was supposed to have done some research into my chosen career path by this point, but I hadn't done anything of the sort. It was the first time I hadn't completed a homework assignment. Scorpius's words from the other night rang in my ears every time I tried to think about what a career in Muggle Relations would look like. _Why are you letting expectations push you into something you don't like?_

His question was too accurate for my liking. He was too perceptive for his own good. Being a Weasley meant never doing anything unexpected, and pursuing a career outside the Ministry would definitely not meet expectations. Everyone assumed I was like my mother because I was smart, and that meant I would go into the Ministry. I'd always wondered what it would be like to go in a completely different direction, but I'd never seriously considered it before. Sure, I liked Alchemy, but it wasn't something I could make a living at, was it? Most of the jobs I knew about were in experimental research, and that wasn't exactly stable. I needed stability in my life.

My thoughts were interrupted by a very irritated Scorpius storming through the portrait hole. I watched in silence as he pulled off the outer layer of his Quidditch robes jerkily while still trying to walk. I couldn't suppress a short laugh as he stumbled.

"It usually works better if you stop walking before you start undressing," I noted, trying not to smile.

He scowled at me, but stopped trying to walk as he shed the outer layer more successfully this time.

"Bad practice?" I asked as he flopped down on the couch, closing his eyes.

"You'd think I was plastered when I put that team together," he sighed.

"Were you?" I asked innocently. He opened his eyes just enough to glare at me, which was the opposite reaction I was fishing for. Guess I'd have to try again. "If it helps, Gryffindor looks pretty miserable this year, too."

"We're worse," he replied shortly.

My eyebrows rose skeptically. Gryffindor was _really_ bad. "Al called the last practice after five minutes because Miller ran into the goal post. He was staring straight at it, too."

His lips twitched a bit. Ok, so making fun of Gryffindor was the way to go tonight.

"The practice before that ended because O'Connor was so busy staring at Lily that he got hit in the face with a bludger I'm not totally convinced Al didn't knock his way."

He laughed outright this time. "I reckon you're right on that one. He definitely hasn't had any love for O'Connor these past few days. They've still got time before the first match though. Ours is in a couple of weeks, and we're playing Ravenclaw."

I winced. "Yeah, they're not exactly having any trouble this year…"

"Davies giving you the inside information?" He asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I may have caught the tail end of a couple of practices meeting up with him," I admitted.

"Any pointers?" He asked. I knew he was kidding, and I faked offense.

"What do I look like, some sort of cheater?"

He grinned, "Just a good-hearted friend who doesn't want to see me fail epically in my first game as Captain."

I rolled my eyes good naturedly. The fact that he'd called us friends was not lost on me. It was really the first time either of us had classified our relationship out loud, and it was true. We were somehow friends after all the years we'd spent at each other's throats. It had only taken a couple of months to get to this point, too. It didn't make sense to anyone, not even me, but for once I wasn't going to question it. I spent my entire life overanalyzing and questioning. I was going to just let this one play out. It wasn't like I could really predict what was going to happen anyways. Two and a half months ago if you had told me I would be sitting in the common room trying to get Scorpius to smile for whatever reason, I would have told you to check yourself into St. Mungo's. Obviously I wouldn't be able to predict anything about our friendship even if I tried.

"Well, in that case, watch out for Adrian's bludgers. His aim's gotten better since last year. He never misses, and I'd hate to see your pretty face ruined," I said, without fully thinking it through once again.

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied, a sly grin forming on his face a few seconds later, "So you think my face is pretty, do you?"

I threw a throw pillow at him as he laughed loudly.

* * *

"Alright, Miss Weasley, here we are once again. I guess first of all I'll ask if you have any questions for me?" Professor Longbottom asked.

_Why are you letting expectations push you into something you don't like?_

"I was wondering what the outlook was for job security in Muggle Relations?" I asked, trying to push Scorpius's Merlinforesaken voice out of my head. Now was _not_ the time.

"Well, let me check here…" He rummaged through some papers, searching for some sort of data I guessed. "Ah, here we are. Yes. Numbers suggest it looks good. There's a healthy number of entry-level positions each year, and the average employee seems to stay around five to ten years. That's to be expected in that line of work."

This surprised me. "Only five to ten years?"

He nodded. "Yes, most often after so long in the department employees either get shuffled to another or get promoted. It's a good field to go into in terms of advancement within the Ministry, that's for sure."

_Why are you letting expectations push you into something you don't like?_

"Do you have any numbers indicating job satisfaction?" I asked suddenly. I wasn't sure where that question came from.

He shuffled a few more papers around. "Well, there are a few different categories. In terms of fulfilling the purposes of the job it rates fairly high, but in terms of long-term happiness it drops off a little. I get the impression Muggle Relations is a stepping stone for careers more than a destination."

_Why are you letting expectations push you into something you don't like?_

"Professor, what can you tell me about careers in Alchemy?"

* * *

I left the office a full half an hour later with a stack of pamphlets and a lot to think about. I blamed Scorpius for my sudden question, but it had given me options. There was a lot more I could do with Alchemy than I thought. Besides independent researching and becoming a Professor of the subject, there were also alchemists employed by the Ministry in various departments. I'd thought Muggle Relations offered me more stability, but Alchemy had given me more options. It may be a more volatile field, but I always thought passion made you better at your job, and the better you were at your job, the more likely you were to stick around.

I was so engrossed in looking through the pamphlets that I ran straight into Scorpius coming out of the portrait hole. I apologized profusely as we knelt to pick up the scattered papers.

"I take it you asked Longbottom about Alchemy then?" He asked, glancing at the cover of one as he handed it back.

I nodded. "I don't know what possessed me to ask him for these. I blame you," I told him jokingly.

"What did I do?" He asked, startled.

"You're the one who told me to not let expectations force me into something I hate. Next thing I knew I was asking questions I really shouldn't have been."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to pursue a career that won't raise eyebrows," I interrupted myself with a chuckle as he raised an eyebrow.

"I think you're safe. Now, if you wanted to become an opera singer I might feel compelled to jinx some sense into you."

"Really? Because that's my fall-back…" I replied, feigning disappointment. He laughed along with me before we were interrupted.

"Hey, Red."

I turned to see Adrian approaching the still-open portrait hole. I knew him well enough to see the tension he was trying to conceal, but was grateful he was trying to keep it contained. He'd been better with the irrational jealousy. I still hadn't answered his proposal of moving in together, but maybe just the fact that he'd asked was enough for him to keep himself in check. He was actually being very understanding about giving me time to think about his offer without pressuring me.

Scorpius took that as his cue and held out the last brochure to me. As I took it, our fingers brushed and I felt a clenching in my stomach as I looked up at him. Adrian's tension must be getting to me.

"I'll see you later?" He asked, starting down the corridor.

"Yeah, later," I replied as Adrian approached. He kissed my cheek, almost startling me even though I was very aware of him standing there. "Come on. The homework won't do itself."

"That it won't," he sighed, giving me a tight-lipped smile as I led the way into the common area.

After about twenty minutes of homework I couldn't resist the urge any longer. I set down my quill and looked over at Adrian. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Have you ever thought about doing something completely unexpected?"

"You mean like being spontaneous?" He asked, frowning.

"Not exactly. I mean… Well, your parents expect you to go into the Ministry after Hogwarts, right?"

He nodded.

"Have you ever thought about doing something else?" I asked nervously.

He shrugged. "Not really. My parents work in the Ministry and they're doing fine. As long as I make enough to support myself and my family I don't really care what I'm doing."

"But don't you want to do something you love?" I pressed.

"I think you can learn to love a job if you're at it long enough. Besides, it's really only there to make you money. It's just a means to an end."

I was silent, digesting his answer.

"What's this all about, Rose?"

I bit my lip. "I've been taking Alchemy since last year."

His eyebrows rose a bit in surprise. "I didn't know that."

"No one did. My dad thought it was a useless class when schedules came out so I didn't tell anyone I signed up for it, but I actually really like it. I asked Professor Longbottom today what I could do career-wise with it."

"Isn't that a bit unreliable? I thought you liked Muggle Studies. Don't you want to go into Muggle Relations?"

I half-shrugged, "It's not bad. Sure, it would be better stability to go into a desk job at the Ministry but I'm not sure that's what I want."

"Why wouldn't it be?"

I opened my mouth to reply, but found no words could form at first. This conversation was not at all like I pictured it. "I don't know if I want to be trapped behind a desk my whole life. I mean, I've done it for seven years already. I want to do something I love."

"Where did this come from?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Well it just seems kind of sudden is all. Is this some kind of delayed rebellion against your parents?"

"What? No! This is something I've been struggling with. Stability versus passion, you could say."

"Well, I'd go for stability. You can get passion in other areas of your life," he told me, grinning suggestively as he leaned in and sealed his lips over mine. I kissed him back, shoving my thoughts aside.

* * *

Once Adrian left, I had nothing to occupy me except my thoughts. I tired of this rather quickly, deciding to visit Gryffindor Tower instead of sitting alone.

Dom was nowhere to be found when I stepped through the portrait hole, but I spotted Al and Emily sitting on the couch by the fire. Usually when I saw them together, they had homework out, but today they seemed to just be hanging out. Al said something and Emily burst out laughing. I headed toward them, catching the tail end of their conversation as I sat in a chair beside them.

"You are ridiculous, Al," Em managed through her dying laughter. Al's returning grin reminded me a lot of Scorpius's. It was eerie how similar they were. "Hey, Rose!"

"Hey."

"You seem… not yourself. Everything good?" She asked, sobering immediately.

I nodded, not sure what I would even say to explain whatever it was I was feeling. How could I say I felt like Scorpius Malfoy knew me better than my own boyfriend? Up until two and a half months ago Socrpius and I didn't know each other at all. "I just have a lot of thinking to do."

"About?" Al prodded, leaning forward in interest.

"Everything."

"What did Davies do now?" He asked, eyes narrowing.

I smiled slightly. "Nothing. We've been really good lately, actually."

"Any closer to making a decision?" Emily asked, making sure to keep her question vague.

I shook my head. "I really don't know what to do. I just want to give it some time and see if this lasts, you know?"

She nodded.

"How's everything with James? He sounded kind of depressed the last time he wrote me."

Emily exhaled loudly as Al looked over his shoulder at some first years playing Exploding Snap in the corner. "I really don't know. When we get to talk he seems fine, but we don't have much time to do that these days. I'm looking forward to Christmas holidays though. Maybe seeing each other again for more than a few hours in Hogsmeade will help us sort out whatever's going on."

"James loves you, Em. Whatever this is, you guys can fix it. He didn't spend all that time trying to break your resolve for nothing. He's not going to just give up."

"I hope you're right. Sometimes I wonder if this is even worth all the trouble. I mean, he's in a whole new stage of his life and I don't want to be the one holding him back…"

"You aren't, Em, don't worry about that."

She smiled half-heartedly at me before changing the subject. Al rejoined the conversation at this point, but his mood seemed dampened somehow. His smiles didn't quite reach his eyes anymore. I couldn't figure out why, but shrugged it off. He was probably just put out that we'd been talking about our boyfriends. He made no secret of his hatred for girl talk.

"At least things are looking up for the team," he said when the topic turned to Quidditch.

"Well that's good news for you. Not so much for Scorpius, though," I replied, laughing lightly. "Apparently Slytherin is miserable this year."

"Good. Maybe that means we'll have a shot this year. Now that O'Connor's stopped ogling my sister and Miller's learned how to avoid solid objects in flight…" He said, shaking his head in exasperation.

Emily and I both laughed as Ben joined us.

"Going to the party this weekend?" He asked, looking mostly at me and Emily. It was a given Al would.

Emily shrugged while I shook my head. "I'm all partied out."

"You've only been to one this year, Rose," Al pointed out.

"I know. I've seen enough of Scorpius hung over to grasp the overall experience of the rest of them, though."

"You never get the full experience second hand. Though if you're going to try, Scorpius is probably the best way to do it. He doesn't go halfway," Ben said, chuckling.

"I've realized," I replied drily.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean? Has he brought any… companions back with him?"

"No, definitely not, thank Merlin. Besides, if he did, at some point the charm VanHousen told us about would kick in," I paused to consider it, "That would actually be pretty funny though."

"You know, I don't think he actually snogged anyone at the last one," Al said thoughtfully, finger on his chin in thought.

Ben frowned. "I think you're right. Not for lack of people trying, though. I don't think I've seen him reject anyone like that since Alex Davies last year."

My eyes widened in surprise and I couldn't stop the shriek of laughter that burst from my mouth. "Alex tried to snog him? And he rejected her?"

"Yeah. It was epic," Al answered, a wistfully cheerful look on his face as he remembered it.

"I really wish I'd seen that."

Even picturing it was enough to put me a good mood for the rest of the day.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, I think I'll leave it there.**** I'll try to update really soon, because I feel like, after nine chapters of waiting patiently, you guys will really like the next chapter…**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Ok, here we go! I think I wrote this before I even wrote Chapter 6, so it might be a bit different than the rest of the story. I tried to make it fit as best I could but this was one of those ideas I've had since the beginning of planning this story, so I didn't want to play around with it too much! Hopefully it still works out!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

My resolve to skip the party was crumbling by the day. Adrian seemed to be exerting every ounce of charm he had in the effort to get me to accompany him. That paired with Dom's incessant pleading and I caved Thursday afternoon.

"Finally! I'm so glad you decided to come!" Dom cheered as we left the Charms classroom that afternoon.

"I wasn't given much of an option," I reminded her good naturedly.

She shrugged innocently, pretending not to understand before she spotted Colin, her latest boyfriend, up the hall and scurried off to meet him. Scorpius fell into her place at my side as we headed back to the dormitory.

"So you fell victim to Dominique?"

I nodded solemnly. "I'm powerless against her and Adrian."

"That's a first. Rose Weasley, powerless. I never thought I'd see the day. Remind me to send Dom flowers."

I laughed, shoving his arm playfully. "None for Adrian?"

"I think he might get the wrong idea if I did."

"I'd say," Adrian's voice came from behind us.

I whipped around, surprised. "Adrian! I didn't see you. How long have you been there?"

"Long enough," he replied stiffly. I inhaled deeply, trying to maintain my composure and hoping he would do the same. I wasn't in the mood to fight.

"I'll, er, see you inside," Scorpius told me, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. I nodded, approaching Adrian once he disappeared.

"Please, don't let me interrupt. You two looked real cozy just now."

"Adrian, please. Let's not start this again."

"Whatever. I just came by to see if you wanted to head to the party at seven?" He asked.

I breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, standing on my toes to peck his cheek. "I'll see you then."

* * *

Adrian passed out about an hour into the party he 'so desperately needed me to come to.' He didn't even pay me that much attention; he spent the whole time knocking back firewhiskey and laughing obnoxiously with his Ravenclaw friends while I stood beside him, sipping a butterbeer and trying to appear as though I was having fun. I never realized how irritating I found being stuck on his hip before. I was friendly with his friends, sure, but I wouldn't say we were actually friends. We greeted each other in the corridors, but would never hold a conversation for any length of time. There were times, like now, that I wished Adrian and I had common friends, so that both of us could enjoy ourselves, or at least that he would be alright with me hanging out with my own friends across the room. Couples shouldn't need to be together all the time, nor should they need to be continually glued together when they are. However, due to the imminent recurrence of Adrian's bouts of jealousy over my friendship with Scorpius, I felt that having that particular conversation could wait. That left me to stand beside Adrian with his arm looped around my waist, faking a smile while wishing I was across the room with Dom and Emily. They were standing with Albus and Ben, all four laughing over their drinks. Scorpius and Gage came up to join them as I looked on.

Frowning, I had to ask myself why exactly I wasn't over there. Yes, I didn't fancy upsetting Adrian by going to join Scorpius, but it wasn't just Scorpius over there, and since when did I tread carefully to avoid hurt feelings? Truth be told, I only started treading more carefully this year because Adrian and I fought over it so much. If he was that opposed to it, he could come with me. After all, I'd spent all night not having any fun with his friends after he practically begged me to come here. Was it so unreasonable for me to want to go say hi to my friends?

Possessed by my sudden urge to regain the independence I'd somehow sacrificed this year, I turned to Adrian, smiling sweetly. "Hey, I'm just going to go say hi to Dom and Emily, ok?" I said, trying to make it as innocent as possible. He must have noticed I wasn't enjoying myself, and I didn't want to seem like this was an escape tactic, even if it was.

Adrian glanced over my shoulder, eyes narrowing as he spotted precisely who I didn't want him to. "Malfoy's over there," He stated, his words slurring from the alcohol.

"So? Scorpius and I are friends, Adrian, we've been over this. Besides, it's Dom and Emily I actually want to talk to. Scorpius just happens to be there. Not a big deal." So maybe it was a bit of a lie. I found myself wanting to talk to Scorpius more than I would have thought. He was… interesting. Aside from Ben and Adrian, Scorpius was really the only guy not related to me to whom I spoke on a regular basis.

His jaw clenched as he leaned in, swaying heavily. "Fine. Go talk to _Malfoy_. See if I care."

Fury lit a fire in my stomach, burning its way up as I lifted my chin. "Thanks, _Dad_, I think I will."

I pushed my way through the crowd angrily. I hated Adrian when he got drunk and possessive. It was even worse now that he had a target to unload it all on. Last year it wasn't like this. Last year he didn't seem as though he was constantly looking over his shoulder. Last year he trusted me. Adrian had no reason to be acting like a jealous prat. I was a trustworthy person. If anything, I should be the worried one.

By the time I twisted through the swarm of people, I ended up facing the direction I'd come from, which put me right between Ben and Scorpius, and gave me a perfect view of Adrian across the room. Seeing him laughing with his friends as though nothing happened made me even angrier. He didn't even care that he was being stupid.

At that precise moment, Adrian turned his head to glance in my direction. Our eyes met and his narrowed as he took in that I was standing next to Scorpius. Stupid git. I was tired of this. I just needed to stop caring, and to do that, I needed…

Without thinking, I grabbed the nearest drink -which happened to be Scorpius's- and downed what was left of it in one gulp. Adrian's face twisted in anger and I smiled easily, feeling better after my petty action. The fact that it was Scorpius's drink made it all the more satisfying. Yes, I can be immature, too. I returned the now empty glass to Scorpius's hand, noticing the shocked looks everyone else was giving me.

"Well hello to you, too, Rose," Scorpius laughed.

Dom's eyes flickered from Adrian, to Scorpius, to me, then timidly asked, "Is everything OK?"

I smiled sweetly, "You bet! My boyfriend is a possessive prat, but other than that, everything's peachy."

I punctuated my words by grabbing the drink Scorpius had summoned to replace the one I finished, taking a large swallow and returning the cup to his still open hand.

"You know, there's no shortage of alcohol around here. We don't have to share." He sounded very amused.

The taste of the drink caught up with me and I grimaced. "What _is_ that?"

"Firewhiskey and soda."

I shuddered in disgust. He laughed and waved his wand at the drink table, summoning a glass of something blue and fizzy. He handed it to me. "Here. Try this."

It actually wasn't too bad. Obviously I wasn't as well versed in alcohol as everyone else clearly was. Usually, I relied on Dom to put drinks in my hand, but she was far too busy staring at me as though I'd grown a second head. Albus looked impressed. I had to remember this was probably one of the only times Adrian and I had been on opposite sides of the same room since our last reconciliation. It felt… freeing to be away from him, almost like I could breathe again.

A half hour later, I glanced idly over to the corner the Ravenclaws occupied and was surprised to see two of them hoisting someone up. They hauled him toward the door, and I realized when they turned that it was Adrian. I tried, but just couldn't find it within myself to feel an ounce of concern. It was his own fault.

"Are you going to go see if he's OK?" Dom asked, following my gaze.

I shook my head and took another sip of my drink. Albus grinned. I imagined this was like an early Christmas to him. Tomorrow I would reclaim the title of Devoted Girlfriend, but tonight I just wanted a break. I realized that all of the jealousy and fighting was making me feel suffocated. I wasn't allowed to question things I'd taken for granted last year, and I clearly wasn't allowed to change my opinions. I felt like I wasn't allowed to be myself anymore. I had to be Red, the girl Adrian fell in love with last year. Those were the terms I agreed to when I told him I wanted to give it another go. It was an unspoken agreement, but an agreement nonetheless: we both remained the same people we were last year. I wasn't sure why at first, but I was beginning to see that it just wouldn't work if we changed. We were right for each other last year, but was that still true?

"Seriously, Rose. If you want to go check on him we'll understand," Dom's voice broke into my thoughts.

I shook my head again, this time to clear it. "I don't want to go check on him. I just want to forget about him for tonight."

Albus grinned. "Welcome back, Rosie."

"Don't call me that," I snapped, but grinned anyways.

* * *

An hour and a half later, my world was spinning. I laughed freely as Albus imitated Aunt Ginny when she walked in on him and Scorpius the first time they'd tried drinking. They, along with Fred and James, had somehow gotten hold of fire whiskey two years ago and decided it would be wise to try it out in Albus's bedroom. From the sound of it, Grandma's reaction to the flying car incident in Dad's second year didn't even compare.

"I thought for sure she was going to spontaneously combust!" Albus laughed.

"Mate, that's nothing compared to when my mum caught us trying to sneak out last summer," Scorpius said, grinning.

Albus laughed even more loudly as the two launched into the story of their attempt to sneak out to meet up with some girls from the Muggle town near Malfoy Manor. I was eternally grateful to now know that climbing down a trellis from a third story window wasn't the best way to go about doing it; especially if you were a very muscular, and therefore very heavy, Quidditch player, because a fragile apparatus such as a trellis tended to break under such weight, and falling tended to make a lot of noise. I also learned that Scorpius's mother had a temper to rival the Weasley women's.

I sat on the couch as the stories wound down. Gage and Dom had drifted off to different groups and Emily excused herself to go to bed, though we all knew she was going to talk to James. Ben had left some time ago, and Albus was busy charming some poor sixth year. That left Scorpius and I. He sighed and dropped next to me on the couch.

"You feeling guilty about leaving Davies to pass out alone?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No, he was being a prat. He's… different this year. Even when he's not being a jealous idiot. I can't really explain it." I paused to take a breath. "Sorry, you don't really want to hear this."

He waved it away. "Nah, it's fine. I have a feeling it's my fault anyways."

"No! It's his fault. He's the paranoid one," I muttered, glad my words weren't slurring. "Let's not talk about Adrian."

It was a strange conversation to have while slightly intoxicated. It was a strange conversation to have, period.

"So then what do you want to talk about?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

For some reason, this caught my attention and, before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "How do you _do_ that?"

He looked surprised, and rightly so. "What?"

"Raise one eyebrow!" I exclaimed, gesturing to his face.

He laughed loudly. "I dunno… I just do?"

"No, seriously! Why can't I do that?"

"Because you can't?" He looked bewildered now. I couldn't blame him. I was attacking him because of his genetic ability.

Determined, I maneuvered my eyebrows into what I hoped was a single, raised eyebrow.

Scorpius burst out laughing. "You…look…" He couldn't even finish his sentence. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"Stop laughing at me!" But I was laughing too by this point.

"Glad to see you're having so much fun, Rose," Alex's cold voice stopped the laughter in my throat.

I looked up to stare into Adrian's sister's eyes. "Hi, Alex."

"Merlin, if he could only see you right now. Laughing away with _him_ while he's in agony."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Damn alcohol killing my self-control. "It's his fault he's 'in agony.' He didn't have to drink so much. And what do you have against Scorpius?"

"She's upset I didn't want to snog her last year," Scorpius put in, probably thinking he was helping the situation. I barely contained my smirk as I remembered Al talking about that earlier in the week.

"I recall nothing of the sort," Alex snapped. "I just don't think this is appropriate while you're dating my brother."

She over-compensated for the effects of the alcohol by trying for sophistication. She failed.

"I don't have to sit here and listen to this. I'm leaving," I sighed, getting up and heading to the door. I was in no mood to hang around my boyfriend's crazy sister.

I was halfway down the corridor when suddenly there was someone walking beside me.

"I don't need an escort, you know."

"You didn't seriously think I was going to stay there with her, do you?" Scorpius asked incredulously.

"Why not? She'd probably snog you if you did."

"Do you think I would actually go there? She's crazy."

"Wow. Scorpius Malfoy has standards? I'm shocked."

"Ouch. That hurts, Rose," He said in a joking tone. Silence passed between us for a minute and then he spoke again, seriously this time, "Do you actually think I have no standards?"

Thrown off by the almost vulnerable tone in his voice, I considered my words carefully. "You just… have a reputation is all."

"A reputation?"

"You know… you're a Hogwarts Hunk," I replied, realizing how embarrassing that sounded after I'd said it. I blamed the alcohol.

His barking laughter confirmed it. "I'm a _what_?"

I felt my face go warm. "It's what girls call guys like you. You're all attractive and single and you snog _a lot_ of girls –probably shag a fair few, too. You play the field."

"Playing the field? That's what people see that as?"

"How else are they supposed to see it? How many relationships have you had that lasted more than a couple of weeks?"

Silence.

"Exactly. You don't ever seriously commit to one girl; it's just a parade of them. And they all line up for it even though they know exactly what they'll get. It's sickening really."

We'd reached the portrait hole by this time, and we paused in our conversation to gain entrance. Though I'd intended to go to bed, I found myself sitting on the couch facing him instead.

"So who else is on this list?" He asked, grinning mischievously.

"Oh, Merlin I shouldn't have said anything…"

"Oh, come on! I have to know who my competition is."

I gave him an exasperated look but ran through the list anyways. "You, Albus, Gage, James and Adrian were, Reese Abbott, Tyler Verbont in Hufflepuff, and some sixth and fifth years."

"Seriously? What about Ben?" He asked, seeming actually interested as well as amused.

I rolled my eyes. "He's attractive, but he's actually a nice guy. Nice guys don't get the label."

"Nice guys? What makes him nicer than us?"

"I just told you. You guys have a constant stream of girls. Ben actually has real girlfriends. As in for more than a month," I explained slowly and clearly, ensuring that Albus's record of one month was my cut-off. I knew Scorpius would argue if I didn't.

"Wow," He said, taking a breath. "Girls think way too much."

I laughed, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. "You know, if my dad could see me right now, he'd probably have a heart attack."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sitting on a couch laughing with Scorpius Malfoy. I mean no offence, but I think he's made it very clear how he feels about you."

"Yeah, I'm used to it by now. Everyone judges me as soon as they hear my name."

"Me too."

"At least they don't assume the worst of you. A person hears Weasley or Potter and they know you'll do great things. They hear Malfoy and they scoff in disgust."

I'd never really thought about that. How was Scorpius going to fare in the job market when employers would make negative assumptions based on his last name? But Dom, Al, and I faced similar predicaments. Our last names would appear and they would immediately assume we would be great hires. What if we couldn't live up to that reputation?

"Sometimes assumptions of greatness are harder to live up to," I finally replied softly. "Al wants to be an Auror, but if he's anything less than perfect…" I trailed off, imagining my cousin's disappointment if he failed to live up to the reputation of the great Harry Potter. His father loved him, but his very name was a curse on Albus.

"I guess that's true. I have nowhere to go but up. Especially after I took the easy way out the first chance I got."

"How so? You're Head Boy, Quidditch Captain, very nearly top of the class. That's not exactly coasting through."

He smiled at the 'very nearly' comment. "That stuff all happened after I met Al. It happened after I realized that I didn't have to just conform to the Malfoy name. I didn't have to be what everyone expected."

"What do you mean?" I asked, still confused.

"Look, I've never told anyone this, but at the Sorting… The Hat gave me a choice. It wanted to put me in Gryffindor, but I asked it to put me in Slytherin instead."

I was silent, trying to process what he just told me. The Hat gave him a _choice_? And Scorpius _chose_ Slytherin? "What?"

"Slytherin is where the Malfoys always go. It was what everyone expected. I had no idea what my father would say if I told him I was sorted into Gryffindor, not to even consider what the rest of the fallout would be. How would people treat a Malfoy in Gryffindor? So I took the easy way out, proving I truly do belong in Slytherin. Who knows, if I hadn't met your cousin I might have just stayed on that path and become a replica of my dad."

I had no idea what to say for a few seconds, still processing. Finally, I formulated enough words to make a sentence. "But you didn't."

"Articulate, Weasley," he joked.

I glared at him momentarily. "You didn't just become what people expected of you once you were Sorted. Doesn't that prove that you're braver than you thought? I mean, your best mate is a Potter, against all odds. Pretty brave to pursue such a friendship. You're exceeding all expectations. I've heard stories about your dad in school, and you're nothing like him, Scorpius." I punctuated my statement by reaching out and placing my hand over his between us on the couch. I squeezed it lightly and he returned the pressure. His skin was soft but rough at the same time. It was strange.

"You know, you don't have to do what people expect of you, either. I know you want to go on with your Alchemy. Your parents love you, and they'll support whatever you want to do."

I pressed my lips together. "I don't think they'd be pleased with me."

"It's your life, Rose. If a Malfoy can do what he wants, so can a Weasley. Don't be afraid to make waves. Go for what you want."

It was the exact opposite of what Adrian had told me. I flicked my eyes up to meet his, suddenly overcome by the same strange attraction that kept me up late into the night talking to him, and laughing with him, and wanting to see him smile. Everything I'd written off as drafts or tension flooded into my awareness in that moment, and I understood what it had really been. Without realizing what I was doing, I leaned in just a little. I hesitated for a second, wondering what I was doing in the back of my mind. What would my father say? But just as quickly as the thought came, I pushed it aside. Before I could change my mind, I closed the distance between us, pressing my lips firmly to his. He stiffened in surprise at first, before returning the pressure. I tangled my fingers in his hair as his free arm wrapped around my waist, our hands still clasped. Kissing Scorpius felt different than kissing Adrian. I felt twice as alive, as though my entire body was on fire. I felt-

I came to my senses suddenly. Adrian. My boyfriend. Whom I was currently _not_ kissing. I pulled back sharply, eyes wide. Scorpius's eyes were just as wide. Clearly, neither of us had expected that. I clapped a hand over my mouth, pushing myself up and retreating to my bedroom quickly. I slammed the door behind me, leaning against it and closing my eyes. What did I just do?

* * *

**A/N: This was originally supposed to just be a part of a chapter, but it kind of took on a life of its own so now it's a chapter all to itself.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Ok, so here we go!**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

I woke to my alarm at ten in the morning. My head still felt fuzzy, and last night still wasn't completely clear. Usually the details filled out as the day went on, so I wasn't too worried. I dressed lazily, taking my time before heading down to breakfast. Dom and Emily were already there, looking rather chipper, while Al rested his head on his folded arms in his seat beside Emily. He looked a lot worse than I felt, so I figured I got off pretty easy. I sat down, grinning at his hunched form.

"How you feeling, Al?" I asked, the smile evident in my voice. All I got in reply was a grunt.

"So how was the rest of your night after I left?" Dom asked me, taking a bite of toast. I grabbed a piece for myself.

"Good. Scorpius and I talked for a bit then went to bed," I replied. Something was nagging at me, but I wasn't quite sure what. I raised my glass to take a sip of pumpkin juice when Scorpius walked into the Great Hall.

_Lips, pressed against mine. His arm around my waist, my fingers threaded in his hair. His hand gripping mine firmly, yet gently._

I choked on my juice, spitting out whatever had managed to get into my mouth in the first place. Dom smacked me on the back, confused.

"You ok, Rose?" She asked, frowning.

I couldn't find words. All I could do was clap my hand over my mouth and shake my head, an action I remembered from last night as well. What did I do? Before I could be questioned any further, I rose rapidly and made my way as quickly as I could out of the Great Hall. I needed to get as far away from him as possible. I needed to figure out what I was going to do. I _kissed_ Scorpius Malfoy last night. For all of my anger about Adrian's jealousy, I'd gone and proven him right. What was I supposed to tell Adrian? What was I going to say to Scorpius? How was I going to make this right? Rose Weasley didn't do things like this. This wasn't me. I wasn't this girl. I didn't cheat on my boyfriend. Oh, Merlin. I'd cheated on my boyfriend. With Scorpius Malfoy.

_Relax, Rose._ I told myself sternly. This wasn't as bad as I thought. It was only a kiss. No big deal, right?

"Rose?"

I cursed to myself as I turned to find Scorpius standing in front of the portrait hole. I had no idea what to say. I wasn't ready for this.

"Hey…" I replied, my discomfort very evident in my voice.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking awkwardly at the ground.

"Look," I started, still unsure of what I was going to say.

"We were both pretty drunk last night," he supplied. He was offering me an out. Why was he offering me an out? I nodded.

"We meaning me," I clarified without really intending to. "This is my fault. I'm the one who crossed the line."

"We both did," he offered.

"Right. Well, however you want to lay blame, it shouldn't have happened."

His face was unreadable as he replied, "Right."

"So, can we just pretend it didn't? I like being your friend and I don't want things to be weird."

"Sure," he answered.

I exhaled loudly in relief. "Thank Merlin."

He shrugged, walking past me to the staircase leading to his room. I got the feeling it wasn't as simple as I was trying to make it, but I could pretend, couldn't I?

* * *

Turns out my pretending only lasted for about a week. Scorpius barely spoke to me, and what was worse was how much it bothered me. Adrian was distinctly colder toward me as well, though I didn't mind as much. That alone worried me. Why was Scorpius's apparent anger more troubling than Adrian's? Not to mention the intense guilt I felt around Adrian. Why should I feel guilty if that kiss meant nothing?

"Rose? Is everything ok?" Emily asked as I sat down across from her in Gryffindor Tower.

"Why wouldn't it be?" I asked, feigning cheer.

"Because you haven't seemed right since the party. Are you upset with Adrian?"

I shook my head. "Just a bit tired I guess. I can't wait for Christmas holidays."

"Me neither," she agreed. I sighed in relief, thinking I'd successfully changed the subject. I was wrong. "What's going on with you and Scorpius? Did you guys have a fight after the party or something?"

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully.

"Well you guys haven't really talked since that night. Usually you're a lot friendlier."

I tried to shrug it off. "Maybe we reached our limit of friendliness."

Emily shook her head. "That's not it. Something happened."

Before I could stop myself, I spit it out. I guess I just needed to finally tell someone. "I kissed him."

Her quill dropped out of her hand, spraying ink droplets across her Potions essay. I flicked my wand to clear them away when it became apparent she was too shocked to. "Can you repeat that?"

"Please don't make me."

"I- uh- Wow. Uh- I- Wow."

"I know. It's a huge mess. I don't know what I was thinking. We were talking and suddenly I just… I don't know I guess I just realized… I don't know how to explain it."

"Have you told Adrian?" She asked, trying to compose herself.

I shook my head. "I didn't think it meant anything and it would only cause problems, or worse."

"You didn't _think_ it meant anything?" She prodded.

I sighed noisily, dropping my face into my hands. "I don't know! I brushed it off when Scorpius and I talked about it and now he's mad and it bothers me that he's mad and I just… It changed everything, and I try to pretend it didn't, but it did. I wanted to stay friends with Scorpius but it's obvious he's angry so I don't think that's going to happen."

"Rose, I don't think he's angry," she told me softly, "Well, he is angry, but maybe he's angry because he's hurt. It sounds like you basically told him it was a mistake."

I shook my head before thinking.

"It wasn't a mistake?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. Yes. I don't know. It was… I don't know, Emily. Tell me what to do!" I pleaded desperately.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. For what it's worth, I think the fact that we're talking about Scorpius's reaction more than Adrian says something."

I stayed silent, assessing things. "I just feel like Adrian doesn't really know me. Not anymore, at least. There are things I talked to Scorpius about that Adrian just didn't get. It's like he doesn't get me anymore."

"And Scorpius does."

I nodded, growling in frustration. "This is such a mess. Stupid Malfoy."

"Whoa, are we going to have to restart the bet?" Al asked, plopping himself down in time to hear my last comment.

I sighed. "Oh, probably."

I didn't provide any further explanation when he probed for more. I was surprised at first that Scorpius hadn't told him, but after thinking about it I couldn't see why he would. I was Al's cousin. That would just be weird. I excused myself quickly to go meet up with Adrian, leaving the two of them to whatever it was they talked about when they were alone.

"Hey," I greeted him, kissing his cheek.

He touched my chin lightly with his finger, bringing my lips to his and kissing me slowly. It was the kind of kiss I found unbelievably sweet and romantic. They usually made my knees weak. There went another thing Scorpius ruined. "Hey."

* * *

Acknowledging that I definitely couldn't pretend the kiss hadn't happened didn't make it any easier. I'd tried to talk to Scorpius on a few occasions but he'd pretty much blown me off. I'd had enough.

"Wait," I snapped, taking two quick strides and catching his arm as he tried to leave the dormitory. My hand tingled strangely and I dropped it from his arm immediately. He turned around, staring at me expectantly. "Look, I'm sorry if what I said last week was the wrong thing to say. I didn't want there to be awkwardness but clearly it had the opposite effect."

"I'm not sure what else you were expecting."

"I don't know. Not this. I figured it wouldn't be this big of a deal. You've kissed lots of girls; I'm just one of many."

He pressed his lips together into a thin line, rocking back on his heels. "Right. I'm the one you can throw yourself at when you're having problems with your boyfriend without the worry that I'll have any kind of feelings whatsoever. You can use me to your heart's content because I'm, what did you call it? A 'Hogwarts Hunk'?"

"That's not-"

"Yes, it is."

"I didn't- It wasn't because of Adrian. I wasn't just using you to make myself feel better. It wasn't just some random-" I stopped abruptly, realizing what I'd just admitted.

"What are you saying?" He asked.

I shook my head, pressing my lips together and trying to shrug it off. He closed the distance between us in one step, lifting my chin to force me to look him square in the eye. I really didn't like how close he was. I was very aware of every inch of him standing in front of me as his eyes burned into mine. My heart started racing as I instinctively leaned a bit closer. What was this weird compulsion I had to kiss him again? Where did it come from and how could I make it go away?

I took in his smoldering eyes boring into mine before his lips touched mine gently. It was soft and slow, making my knees give out. Scorpius's arm caught my waist, pulling me against him and deepening the kiss. What started out gentle soon turned heated as I felt my back hit the wall. I gasped as he pulled back, breathing heavily. I stared up at him, lost for words. His hands braced him on either side of my head against the wall, preventing me from escaping even if I'd wanted to. It hadn't been the alcohol; I knew that much with absolute certainty. There was something about him that drew me in. It was addictive. It drew me into this strange whirlwind of a friendship and now it was turning into… whatever this was. It wasn't in the plan. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"This isn't right," I breathed, voicing my thoughts. Everything about this was wrong.

His eyes closed and his chin dropped to his chest. I heard his sigh before he looked back up at me. This time, his eyes sparkled with anger instead of desire. "What are you saying?"

"We can't-"

"No, _you_ can't, Rose. You can't. Because I'm a Malfoy."

"No, it's not that! I love Adrian," I said weakly, pleading with him to understand.

He leaned in ever so slightly, eyes sparkling wickedly. "Could have fooled me."

I remained pressed against the wall as he pushed himself off and backed away from me. I instantly missed the feeling of his body so close to mine, berating myself a second later for thinking it.

"Are you in love with him?" He asked.

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"You said you love him, but are you _in love_ with him?"

"I- they're the same thing!"

He shook his head, already walking away from me. "You don't kiss other people when you're _in love_ with someone."

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy was a bad influence. It was as simple as that. He'd disrupted what was supposed to be my perfect seventh year. There was no other place to lay the blame except on his shoulders. Before we became friends, I was content to pursue a Ministry career and a possible life with Adrian. Now, I was throwing all of my plans out the window and kissing another guy. This was not how I planned for this year to go at all. This was not what my parents expected of me; it wasn't what anyone expected of me. The Head Girl (especially a Weasley) was supposed to have it all together, but everything was falling apart, and it all started when I began talking to Scorpius Malfoy.

I'd also recently remembered Vanhousen's words to us at the beginning of the school year, and a fresh round of guilt and apprehension bore down on me. She trusted us and we'd crossed the line. Twice.

"Scorpius," I called out as he made to walk past me to the portrait hole. I would say our meeting was a coincidence, but I'd been waiting for him to emerge so we could talk. When it was obvious he wasn't planning on turning to face me, I ploughed through what I wanted to say, needing to get it over with. "Do you remember what Vanhousen told us at the beginning of the year? About informing her if our relationship changed?"

He turned to look at me then, his face half-amused. "Yeah, so?"

"Well… don't you think it has?" I asked.

He snorted. "Weasley, would you say we were friends at the beginning of this year?"

"Of course not."

"Then I see no change, since we aren't friends now, either."

He didn't give me a chance to say anything in response before he continued on his path out of the dormitory, leaving me with my mouth hanging open slightly in disbelief.

* * *

Scorpius's words stayed in my head the rest of the day, despite my attempts to forget all about him. It took Adrian awhile to notice I wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying.

"Everything ok, Red?"

"Yeah, fine," I answered. Adrian shrugged, smiled, and looked back at his book without a second thought. That's what finally made me snap. "No, actually, everything's not fine. _We're_ not fine. I feel like we don't know each other anymore, Adrian. If we aren't fighting we're tip-toeing around each other trying not to start anything. That's not the kind of relationship I want."

"This is about Malfoy," he accused, glaring at me. I had to take a deep breath to prevent myself from panicking. There was no way he could know.

"No," I shot back before I could fully realize that was technically a lie, "Not entirely. Look, you can't tell me things haven't been off. I've been trying my best to make it work, but I can't pretend anymore. My life has been spiralling so out of control lately that I think I just needed something to hang onto. Something familiar. Something that didn't change. But we _have_ changed. We aren't the same people we were last year. Maybe those people were right for each other, but these people… These people just aren't."

"Where is this coming from? The Rose I knew…" He trailed off as understanding kicked in.

I smiled sadly, "We've been holding on to the memory of what we were too tightly to realize we aren't the same."

"You aren't."

"What?"

"You aren't the same. I am. Ever since you started whatever's going on with you and Malfoy, you've been different."

"Maybe you're right."

He sighed. "So are you. We aren't working, Rose."

I tried not to feel guilty about not telling him about the whole kissing thing, but it gnawed at me. It shouldn't matter, since it wasn't the reason things didn't work with me and Adrian. There were so many other factors working against us that me kissing Scorpius only served as the wake-up call I needed to finally put a stop to it. Though it was a big part of what caused me to finally break it off, and it made me a hypocrite to keep it from him after all of the problems his jealousy over Scorpius caused. Perhaps he had a right to know he'd been correct in his worries, but a larger part of me didn't want to deal with the fallout. There was that accountability thing again. I'd done something wrong and here I was avoiding it.

I was so preoccupied by my thoughts that I turned the corner without paying much attention, running straight into Albus.

"Hey there Rosie, why the long, contemplative face?" He asked cheerfully.

"I just ended things with Adrian," I told him. It seemed unreal to be saying it after the months of them hounding me to do exactly that.

He stood, speechless, for a moment before I could see him trying to fight a grin. Glad to see I'd finally done what everyone else seemed to want. "Why?"

I shrugged, "It just wasn't right anymore. I was trying too hard to hold onto something that wasn't there. Time to stop kidding myself."

"Well, I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I never liked that bloke."

"Thanks, cousin. So supportive."

He grinned, linking his arm through mine as we walked. "It's one of my best qualities, it is. You don't seem too broken up about it, though."

I considered his statement for a moment before relenting. "I guess not. I think it was over before today, I just made it official. I'm sad we couldn't make it work, but I guess 'making it work' isn't really the kind of relationship I want to be in anyways. You shouldn't have to make it work, it should just work."

He smiled, "You know, that's the first time I've agreed with your relationship outlook this term."

I rolled my eyes as we continued toward Gryffindor Tower.

"Can I ask a potentially sensitive question?" He asked once we ascended another staircase.

"Sure…"

"What's going on with you and Scor? You guys are… Well, you were friends, and now it's like it was at the beginning of the school year. Actually, it's worse. I tried to ask him about it, but all he said was that you'd had a difference of opinion."

"You could call it that," I supplied vaguely.

"Seriously, that's all I get? My two best friends have some falling out and all they can attribute it to is a difference of opinion?"

"That would be correct. It happens sometimes. People disagree. People screw up."

"Screw up? Which one of you screwed up?"

I sighed, "I did."

"So fix it."

I smiled sadly, "It's not that simple, Al. Not this time."

* * *

Dom was far too excited about my split with Adrian. You'd think at least one person would be able to pretend to be sad for me. Even James's next letter expressed happiness at my decision. I clearly needed new friends. Perhaps some who weren't my family.

Scorpius still wasn't talking to me, even after he probably heard about what happened. Not that I expected him to. What I'd told Al was right, as much as I hated to admit it. I'd screwed up. Trying to make things better, I'd only made them worse. After the strides I'd made in eliminating my prejudices, I'd reverted back to them when faced with the possibility of finally tossing them all out the window. He's a Malfoy, I'm a Weasley. That's why it wasn't right, and we both knew it. He was Scorpius Malfoy and I was Rose Weasley. It wasn't supposed to work. But then again, we weren't supposed to be friends in the first place, and that worked out. Until I ruined it, that is. He'd even gone so far as to trade patrols with intimidated fifth years to avoid me.

Watching him walk past me in the corridor, studiously ignoring me, I sighed. I'd ruined our friendship, the one thing that I hadn't wanted to do. Another thing I hated to admit: I missed our friendship. As suddenly as it had come on, it had become an important part of my life. He understood me in ways no one else seemed to. He saw through my act when no one else did, and wasn't afraid to call me on it. He challenged me to go for what I wanted, despite the expectations piling on me from all directions. He defied all of my expectations himself, but maybe that was what made him so appealing in the first place. Maybe the reason we found so much common ground was because of the expectations everyone seemed to have for us. He understood what it was like to be me, and I understood what it was like to be him. Well, not completely, since people weren't conditioned to hate me, but the basic principle was the same.

Sighing, I realized my thoughts weren't really making much sense anymore. I just needed to stop thinking so much. It was done and over with. I'd screwed up my friendship with Scorpius by kissing him and that was that. It was simple. I couldn't change anything by analyzing it, so I should just stop trying.

"You look… preoccupied," Emily's voice broke my concentration. I looked up, startled, to see her slide into the seat next to me in the library. "What's on your mind?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I just made a mess of things. I don't even know how it happened, Em. I wish it hadn't."

"Why?"

"Because it ruined everything. It's hard to explain, but Scorpius was someone I could be myself around, you know? Everyone wants me to be the version of Rose Weasley that's expected, but Scorpius had no expectations. It was nice."

"What do you mean by expected?"

I shrugged slightly, starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. "I guess… people just expect me to follow a certain path. You know, top grades and on to the Ministry afterwards. They expect me to follow in my mother's footsteps."

"You don't want to work in the Ministry?"

"Honestly, I have no idea what I want to do," I sighed, dropping my head into my hands, "I don't have the plan everyone seems to think I do, Emily. The school year's halfway over and I still don't know what I'm going to do afterward. Scorpius made it all sound so simple. Just do what I want, to hell with everyone's expectations, but it's not that simple, is it?"

I felt her arm wrap around my shoulders, though she said nothing.

"I mean, Al wants to be an Auror, Dom's got her heart set on opening a fashion boutique, you're going to become a Healer. Your parents all approve of your choices."

"You're losing me, Rose."

"My mother called Alchemy 'funny magic' when I asked her about it, and Dad said he found it pointless to even try. It started out as just a desire to do something different from them. I wanted one thing to separate myself from them, you know? Albus isn't the only one who doesn't want to be continually compared to his parents. Imagine my surprise when I actually liked it…"

"Alchemy? You took Alchemy?"

"I'm still taking it. In fact, thanks to Scorpius's bad influence, I have about seven brochures in my trunk on the different career paths I could pursue in the field."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, sounding hurt.

I looked up from my hands apologetically. "It wasn't just you. I didn't tell anyone at all. At first I didn't want anyone to laugh at me, but then it became more than that. Everyone seemed to take it for granted that I'd go on to the Ministry after Hogwarts, and I didn't think they'd understand if I said I didn't. My parents certainly wouldn't be pleased with my decision to drop the stable, respectable career path for Alchemy."

"They're your parents. They'll understand and support you no matter what," she replied quickly, "But if you were so set on not 'disappointing' them, what changed your mind?" I was silent for a moment, giving her time to make the connection herself, mostly because I didn't want to say it out loud. It was strangely cathartic, finally saying everything out loud. It made much more sense putting it into words than it did in my head. "It was Scorpius, wasn't it?"

I nodded. "He understood. It was… nice, having someone who got the whole desire versus expectation thing. I guess it makes sense. Scorpius was the one able to get Al out of his own head, and he was the same person for me. Then I screwed it all up. How come no one's ever told me I talk way too much?" I asked, frowning.

"Mostly just to be polite," Emily answered, laughing when I scowled, "I'm kidding, Rose. You definitely don't talk too much. You do worry too much about what people think, though. Just do what you want. Don't worry about anyone else."

"That's essentially what Scorpius told me."

"He's a smart bloke."

I tried to smile as Emily wrapped her arms around me briefly.

"Ok," I said, "Enough moping around. I'm sorry I dumped all of that on you. I kind of lost my last sounding board a week ago."

Emily smiled sympathetically, "Well, as long as you promise not to kiss me, I'm here for you."

I laughed, hitting her in the arm.

* * *

My talk with Emily had been good for at least one thing: I now knew how stupid I was to think my friends would laugh at me taking Alchemy. They were my friends for a reason. She'd only confirmed everything Scorpius had been trying to tell me, but hearing it from another source seemed to be what I needed.

I sat down in my room after breakfast to read the letter I'd received from my parents. I'd decided to tell them during Christmas holidays that I wanted to pursue Alchemy. It was something I needed to do face to face, not in a letter.

_Rosie,_

_Glad to hear your year is going well so far. Hugo mentioned how pleased he was at the end of your relationship with one Adrian Davies in his last letter. Though your father says second chances are overrated, I know he's as sorry as I am that the two of you couldn't make it work. No one is perfect, Rose, and I'm proud of you for looking past Adrian's shortcomings, even if it didn't work out. I'm glad to know we raised a daughter capable of forgiveness._

_On a happier note, I was speaking with Robert Thicke, Head of the Muggle Relations Department, not two days ago, and I mentioned your interest in the department after graduation. Well, as you can imagine, he was very pleased to hear that a Weasley is planning to apply after school, and offered to allow you to shadow him for a few days during the Christmas holidays. He inquired after your academic record and seemed very impressed. Your father and I are thrilled, and we know you will be as well, which is why we couldn't wait to write you with this wonderful news. Your father would like me to add that it will also look quite impressive in the research portion of your career counselling. We trust that you know this experience is invaluable for more reasons than impressing Professor Longbottom, though. Many students would give their wand arms for this chance. You've worked hard for this, and that work is now paying off._

_We can't wait to see you and your brother next week. We're so proud of you, Rosie._

_Love, Mum and Dad_

I exhaled loudly, casting the letter aside. Great. How was I supposed to tell them I didn't want to go into Muggle Relations when the head of the department was offering me something like this? They were proud of me, and I was planning on disappointing them. What kind of daughter was I? I would be ungrateful to turn down the opportunity to shadow Mr. Thicke. If it went well, it could guarantee I had a job after school finished in June. I suspected part of my reluctance to let go of Adrian was because of the familiarity and stability he represented. He was the one constant thing amidst all of the confusion, the one thing left from before Scorpius's words started eating at my plans. Just when I'd decided to completely let go of everything from before, this comes up, pulling me back toward my original plans. Maybe it's a sign.

Sighing again, I turned to look at the clock beside my bed. The sight of the red numbers 10:35 sent me flying across the room, gathering up my coat and pulling my hair back into a ponytail. Today was the Ravenclaw/Slytherin Quidditch match, and even though I didn't really feel like going to watch either team, I'd promised Dom I'd come keep her company since Emily had a 'mirror date' with James. We were supposed to meet in the Entrance Hall in five minutes and it would take me at least ten to get there.

I rushed out of my room, trying to close the zipper on my handbag while walking. I should know better than to try multitasking by now but I still tried, and still met the same results. I ran straight into the only other person with access to the dormitory, and would have fallen back if he hadn't reached out to catch my arm.

"Sorry," I mumbled, avoiding looking at him as he dropped his hand.

"It's fine," he replied, just as quietly.

"Good luck today."

"Thanks."

I turned and hurried out of the portrait hole, trying to escape as quickly as possible. It killed me that our relationship had deteriorated back to strained remarks with as few syllables as possible in such a short time. There was nothing I could do about it, though, so I needed to suck it up.

"Hey!" I greeted Dom, pasting a smile on my face. It fell, though, when I saw Emily standing beside her. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a date?"

She gave me a shrug, "James is being weird. He just appeared long enough to tell me he had to bail on me."

I frowned, "That doesn't sound like him. But does that mean I can-"

"Not a chance, Rosie," Al's voice boomed from behind me as he dropped an arm over my shoulders. He'd approached with Ben while we'd been talking.

"Seriously? I have so much to do!"

"Too bad. Take a break, watch Scor pummel Davies. It'll be fun."

I rolled my eyes, walking forward, letting his arm drop and falling into step with Dom as we headed toward the pitch.

* * *

"Welcome to the second Quidditch match of the season, Slytherin versus Ravenclaw! It's Scorpius Malfoy's first game as Slytherin Captain, and Gregory Doyle's first as Ravenclaw's, so we'll see how these two teams measure up. We've yet to see what Hufflepuff's Samantha Grevont has compiled, as well as the team Albus Potter of Gryffindor has managed to scrape together, but this match sets the bar."

I felt Al tense up beside me at Harriett Smith's commentary. Harriett had been commentating since our fifth year, and she had never been favourable toward Gryffindor, but she seemed to be much more so this year. I threw Al a questioning glance, seeing his sheepish expression and understanding immediately. Of course, he'd snogged her at some point between the end of last season and the start of this one. Why didn't that surprise me?

"And Madam Kittinger starts the match. Quaffle in Slytherin possession, Macaber, to be precise. Malfoy and Jeeter head up to circle the pitch and see if they can spot that pesky snitch while Macaber passes McCutchin, who passes to- nevermind, intercepted by Ravenclaw's Hinter. Hinter takes the Quaffle up the pitch, dodging poorly aimed bludgers by the Slytherin beaters to score! Ten points to Ravenclaw, and I'm betting Malfoy's wishing he had some experienced players at this point…"

"Did he snog her, too, or something? She really seems to hate him as much as she does you," I mused to Albus.

My cousin shifted uncomfortably. "At the party last night."

"Did he seriously?" I snapped, "I did _not_ want to know that."

"You asked," he pointed out, keeping his eyes on the game. How could he get mad at me for accidentally insinuating that I was using him when he went out and did the exact same thing? Stomach churning with some cross between disgust and anger, likely at his hypocritical behaviour, I also returned my attention to the match.

"Ravenclaw scores again! Quaffle in Macaber's possession as he manages to dodge a bludger sent his way by Ravenclaw's Adrian Davies. Davies is definitely an experienced, and did I mention newly single-" Harriett's words stopped short as Professor Chang scolded her lack of focus, "Sorry, Professor. As I was saying, Davies rarely misses a target, and had Macaber not dodged in the nick of time that bludger would have connected. Looks like a two for one deal as Malfoy was also forced to dodge the ball before continuing his circles of the pitch. And Macaber loses possession again. At least Slytherin can dodge, at any rate…"

The score continued to rise in Ravenclaw's favour, causing Al's shoulders to continue to slump as time went on.

"And another goal for Ravenclaw. That puts the score at 110-40 for the blue and bronze. If Malfoy can't find that snitch soon, Slytherin may as well cast a vanishing spell on their hopes of winning this match. Sorry, Professor. Speaking of Malfoy, he dodges another bludger sent by Davies, uncharacteristically missing its target of McCutchin but causing him to drop the Quaffle in surprise nonetheless. Malfoy's beginning to look frustrated, and I can't say I blame him."

Al slumped further down in his seat, covering his face with his hands.

"On the bright side, they'll probably be worse off than us, right?" I tried cheerily.

Al shot me a glare. "They remind me of us. When we play it will probably be the most hilarious match this school's ever seen."

"I thought you said you guys were getting better!"

"Yeah, meaning we can pass for Quidditch players. Ravenclaw's definitely better than us."

"Well, you still have some time to improve?" I forced an over-the-top smile onto my face, earning another dark look from my cousin.

"And Malfoy dives in order to avoid getting hit with another bludger from Davies that just barely misses its target of Macaber. At least Ravenclaw's star beater also seems to be having a bit of an off game today, giving Slytherin's chasers a little reprieve."

"Maybe Davies will keep this up all season. It would certainly be better for us if he's losing his touch," Al muttered.

I smacked his arm, both out of habit and genuine offense on Adrian's behalf. We may have broken up, but that didn't mean I wished him any sort of ill will.

"Slytherin scores! This brings the score up to 170-50 for Ravenclaw. Davies wastes no time aiming a bludger at McCutchin, but it flies wide and Malfoy dodges yet again. While this is a good thing for Slytherin, Malfoy must be getting tired of paying for Davies's mishaps. Or maybe not… It seems in his haste to avoid the bludger, Malfoy has spotted that precious golden ball! Yes, yes, he's diving! Jeeter trails him by a broom-length, and it doesn't look like he's catching up anytime soon. If Malfoy can catch the snitch, Slytherin will still win the match despite their less-than-admirable play- Sorry, Professor. Malfoy's closing in! He's stretching out his hand, folks, and any second now he's going to carry his team to victory!"

"Her opinion of him sure has changed," I sniped bitterly to Albus.

"Yes! Scorpius Malfoy has- OUCH! Oh Merlin!"

Harriet's exclamations were punctuated by two thuds and cracks. My heart stopped and my hand clamped over my mouth as Scorpius tumbled over the end of his broom and toward the ground. The entire crowd went silent as several teachers rushed forward to slow his momentum.

"And a bludger from Davies finally finds its mark. An injury like this just might end Malfoy's Quidditch career."

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so just to be mean I'll leave Scorpius's fate hanging. Reviews are love!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok, here we go! Picking up right where we left off. I'm in a bit of a rut in the next chapter so I figured I'd post this while I'm waiting to decide what to do next so you aren't hanging in suspense.**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"Adrian, we need to talk," I snapped, barging into the Ravenclaw dressing room.

He looked up from the bench, where he was taking off his Quidditch boots. "About what?" He asked gruffly, returning his attention to his boots.

"You did that on purpose."

* * *

_The whole stadium went silent as Scorpius seemed to fall in slow motion toward the ground. It took me a moment to realize that it didn't just seem like it; the teachers had managed to get their wands focused on him to slow his fall. After the first bludger connected with his wrist, another bludger hit him in the side, changing his course and making it more difficult for the teachers to get the right angle. I reached out without thinking, gripping Albus's hand tightly. He squeezed right back. It took me another moment to realize we were both on our feet. I wasn't sure when I even stood up. _

_The teachers lowered Scorpius to the ground gently before the school's healer rushed to examine him. A stretcher was conjured as the rest of the players landed and were shepherded off the field. I was barely aware of Al tugging me behind him as we weaved through the panicked student body toward the crowd slowly gathering around Scorpius._

"_Albus!" Professor Longbottom called out, changing our course. "He's being taken up to the hospital wing. You won't be allowed to see him for at least the next couple of hours. I suggest you head back to Gryffindor Tower and wait. I'll come find you when you can see him, alright?"_

_Albus swallowed thickly, nodding. Longbottom rushed off to help with crowd control, leaving the two of us standing together in the middle of the chaos. It was nice of Longbottom, I mused to myself, to come find Albus and let him know what was happening. The professors knew they were friends, but it showed just how close the two were for a teacher to seek out Albus and assure him they would find him when Scorpius was allowed visitors. Coming back to awareness, I spotted Adrian through the crowd, glancing back over his shoulder with a cold expression on his face. Several things clicked at once and I released Al's hand immediately._

"_I'll meet you up there, Albus, there's something I have to take care of," I murmured distractedly before heading off in the direction Adrian had taken._

* * *

"I don't know what you mean," he replied nonchalantly, but I knew him better than that.

"Don't play games with me, Adrian. Funny how you miss every single shot today, except the last one. That one hit exactly spot on," I accused, taking a few slow steps forward as I spoke, "Unless they weren't misses at all. You were aiming for Scorpius the entire game, weren't you?"

"It's my job to try to interfere with the play."

I shook my head, "Is that what you call it?! You spent the whole game attacking him, and then at the end you intentionally injured him! Who knows what's going to happen to him now!"

"Look, I didn't mean for him to get hurt this badly, but it needed to be done. People need to know that you don't steal Adrian Davies's girlfriend and get away scott-free."

I laughed bitterly, the last pieces of the puzzle clicking into place. "You have got to be kidding me. That's what this is about? I told you Scorpius wasn't the reason we broke up! Even if he was that doesn't give you the right to- to-" I broke off, unable to even put it into words.

"I ended things between us before the summer because I was scared, Rose," he told me, in a voice that shook slightly, "I was scared of what you were making me feel, and I didn't know what to do. Suddenly I was part of one of those couples that people just expect to stay together, you know? We were one of those 'power couples' everyone aspires to be. I never thought I could be one of those; it was the opposite of everything I'd done since I got to Hogwarts. Suddenly, my reputation was changing, and it was because of you. What scared me more was that I _liked_ it, so I pushed you away. But over the summer I regretted it every day, and I knew I needed to fix my mistake. But Malfoy got in the way of that. He may not have been the reason we broke up, but he was the catalyst."

I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off.

"Don't play games with me either, Rose. I'm not as thick as you seem to think I am. I'm a Ravenclaw for a reason. As soon as you started talking to him you started changing. Everything about you was different: your opinions, your desires, even your outlook on life. You think I didn't notice that your little lovefest with Scorpius came to a grinding halt right before you broke up with me? But you know what? I decided to trust you. Merlin, I even convinced myself that maybe you'd cut him out of your life for me, Rose! I thought maybe you understood how much it hurt us, hurt me, and finally put a stop to it to make things easier. I defended you when Alex told me to watch my back! I told her to stop meddling when I should have listened to her."

He was now standing, too, so I had to lift my chin to look him in the eye. "I shouldn't have had to make things easier! This shouldn't have been an issue!"

"Really? You're going to stand there and lie to me? Look me in the eye, Rose, and tell me nothing happened. Tell me you felt _nothing_ for him," Adrian spat through his teeth.

In that moment, seeing him red faced and seething, I couldn't summon the courage (or perhaps cowardice) to lie outright. "I-" My voice cracked and the words wouldn't come. Of their own accord, my eyes shifted away from his, studying the ground as I bit my lip.

"That's what I thought," he snapped, turning to shove his shoes in his bag.

"Look, I'm sorry, ok? Is that what you want to hear? I'm sorry I changed and I'm sorry I fell out of love with you and I'm sorry it took me so long to finally admit it to myself! That still doesn't make what you did right! It wasn't an accident! You hit that bludger intending to break his wrist! You know the bones in the hand are too small and complex to be fixed completely with magic! You knew he'd have to sit out at least one game! And that's not even taking into account the other bludger! Did you tell Harner to aim that one, too? Did you plan the entire thing?" I demanded, sure my face was red now, too, "You know what, it doesn't even matter. You knew the consequences but you still did it!"

Adrian was silent, but I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves.

"You know," I finally said softly, "I used to think I knew you pretty well, maybe better than anyone. But standing here right now, I realize that I don't know you at all. Maybe I never did."

* * *

I made my way up to Gryffindor Tower slowly. This had been my fault, indirectly. The only reason Scorpius was in the hospital wing right now was because of me. If I had kept my distance like I was supposed to, I would still be on track, and Adrian and I would probably still be together. There would have been no need for Adrian to do what he did. Scorpius would be fine right now. In fact, he'd probably be better than fine. He'd probably be much happier if I would have just continued to hate him like I was supposed to.

I found Al sitting in his favourite chair in front of the fire with Ben, Dom, and Emily sitting on the couch beside him. No one seemed to know what to say.

"Where'd you go?" Dom asked, looking up at me as I approached. Al stared listlessly into the fire, his face schooled into a worried frown, seeming too far away to be listening.

"To sort out some things with Adrian," I replied shortly, sitting on the arm of Al's chair.

This seemed to spark his attention, "You noticed it too, then?"

I looked at him in alarm, "Noticed what?"

"That he was playing with Scor all game," he replied, "I know Quidditch, Rose, and I know Davies's style. He doesn't miss," he added when I looked confused.

I nodded, looking more into the fire than I did at Albus, "Yes, I noticed. I confronted him about it and he didn't deny it. He said it was repayment for his 'stealing me' or whatever, even though I was very clear it wasn't Scorpius who was responsible for our break-up."

This brought Al to his feet in indignation, "You've _got_ to be kidding me! That slick git attacked my best mate over my cousin? As if you two would ever be anything he should be worried about!"

I caught Emily's eye briefly as I shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, as if."

Something seemed to register in Al's eyes at my answer, but before he could call me on it, Professor Longbottom emerged from the portrait hole. Al's attention was completely and immediately diverted.

"Albus, he's… well, he's resting. We've informed his parents and they're with him now, but they said you could drop by if you wished. He'll be allowed regular visitors starting tomorrow."

Al seemed incapable of speech, though the relief on his face was instant. He finally found words as Longbottom turned away. "Professor! Thank you."

Longbottom nodded briefly before continuing on his way out of the common room.

Albus dropped back into the chair with a heavy exhale. "I'm going to kill Davies."

* * *

I was pretty composed waiting for Albus to return from visiting Scorpius. I kept my anxiety in check pretty well, only tapping my fingers on the armrest of the chair. Dom was filing her nails with a magazine bewitched to automatically turn pages in her lap and wasn't paying much attention to me anyways, but Emily shot me knowing looks every few minutes.

As soon as Albus slipped through the portrait hole, I sat up straighter. "How is he?"

He sat down next to Emily on the couch, leaning back and running his hands through his hair. "He's supposed to stay in the hospital wing for the next week. He's got a cast on his hand to heal the bones they couldn't heal straight away with magic. They brought in healers from St. Mungo's and everything, but they said it's better to leave them to heal over the next couple of weeks than to force them back into place now. The second bludger hit him in the spine and caused some internal damage that they have mostly fixed, but he couldn't feel his legs when he first woke up. They have to fix it in stages over the next two days, but so far he said the feeling is gradually coming back so they're optimistic it will fully return by tomorrow with proper healing, and then it's just waiting for it to fully heal. Thank Merlin we aren't muggles," he relayed, exhaling loudly, "At any rate, he said he'd have to sit out their next match at least. He has to undergo some sort of rehabilitation-type thing for his hand, and the rest will be determined with time."

"Wow. It's hard to remember that magic can't fix everything," Emily commented, leaning back beside Albus.

No one had anything to say to that harsh truth. Sure, magic could regrow bones and make them disappear altogether, but the smaller the bone the more difficult it was to heal. With the amount of damage Scorpius's hand had likely sustained from being crushed by the bludger, it was reasonable that it shouldn't be an instantaneous fix. The whole spinal thing freaked me out, and I could tell Al was worried about it, too. I couldn't even imagine what it must have felt like to wake up and not be able to feel your legs. At least he had magic on his side, even if the complexity of the body's nervous system meant a longer healing period. Eventually he would be perfectly ok again. We had to believe that.

"So what's going to happen to Adrian?" I asked into the silence.

"Both the Ravenclaw beaters have been suspended for their next match regardless of any intent behind the bludgers since he was so badly injured," Al supplied.

"And if it comes to light that Adrian acted to purposefully injure him?"

"I expect they'd re-evaluate, but where are we going to get proof?"

I took a deep breath, and chose my side. "From me."

* * *

I paused outside the hospital wing the next morning, wringing my hands and waiting for some sort of sign that I should actually go in. Sure, I had reasonable excuses to go visit him, but I wasn't there for any of those perfectly acceptable reasons. I was there because I needed to see him for myself. I couldn't be left to my imagination to picture him from Al's reports. Hearing voices coming up the hall, I got my sign and slipped quietly through the doors.

It was easy to spot him, considering he was the only one in the wing. I approached his bed slowly, trying to calm myself. At least he was sleeping. It was almost a relief, being able to just come and check up on him without him ever having to know I was here. With that thought in mind, I quickly took in everything I could before planning to make a hasty escape. His face seemed mostly fine, with just a couple of scratches. His right arm was resting outside the blankets, his hand and wrist covered by a shimmering cast that I knew was working to heal the bones shattered by the impact. The rest of him was covered by blankets, but nothing looked out of place. I breathed a small sigh of relief, intent on turning to go when I was stopped.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to stare?" Scorpius asked, his eyes still closed.

I jumped slightly in surprise. "I- er- sorry, I thought you were asleep. I didn't want to wake you. I'll just, uh, go…"

I turned to walk back to the door, silently berating myself for getting caught, when his voice stopped me once again. "Don't."

"What?"

I turned back to see his eyes were open now, looking at a spot just past my ear. I suppose I imagined the hint of desperation in his voice. "Well, you came here for a reason, right?"

I nodded mutely.

"So then what's the point of leaving when you'll have to come back?"

"A fair point," I conceded, returning to his bedside and dropping into the chair there. "I came to sort out patrols, and to apologize."

"For what?" He asked. I got the feeling from his voice that my answer would determine whether or not this conversation continued.

"Adrian aiming that bludger at you. I confronted him after the match, and he told me he did it on purpose as some sort of twisted retribution," I told him, looking at my hands in my lap.

"For-"

I cut him off, "I didn't tell him anything about… any of it. When I broke up with him, I mean. I didn't say anything about it to him, but he still blamed you anyways and this was his way of ensuring people knew he wouldn't put up with it, I guess. I already went to the headmistress."

"So you came to apologize for Adrian?" He clarified. I got the feeling I'd given the wrong answer. "Why is it that you can apologize so easily for the mistakes of others, but not for yourself?"

I had no answer for that, but luckily I didn't have to come up with one because the door to the wing opened. Or maybe not so luckily, since Scorpius's parents were on the other side. I shifted uncomfortably, pushing myself to my feet awkwardly. The Malfoys stopped walking the moment they saw me. Mrs. Malfoy looked surprised to see someone here, while Mr. Malfoy's eyes narrowed on my red hair.

"The highly esteemed Rose Weasley, I presume?" Mr. Malfoy said coldly. I got even more uncomfortable, if that was possible.

"Sorry, dear," Mrs. Malfoy cut over her husband quickly, "We didn't mean to interrupt. We can come back?"

I shook my head quickly. "Oh no, that's quite alright. I was just, er, leaving." I threw a tight smile at Scorpius over my shoulder before hurrying toward the door.

"Hey, Weasley," his voice drawled after me. I stopped, looking back. "I should only be out a week, and I switched patrols with Ben for those times, so you'll want to find replacements for his slots, not mine. Just so you don't have to come back here again to ask."

I swallowed, nodding and trying to smile, but I felt as though I'd been punched in the stomach. I understood his real meaning: he didn't _want_ me to come back.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so this is considerably shorter than the chapters have been so far, but I felt this was a good place to leave it. Yes, I considered a grumpy Scorpius as a good place to leave it. You know, I was about two chapters ahead in my writing at this point, and when I went back to edit chapter 10 before I posted it, I was surprised at how friendly the two of them were a mere two chapters ago. It almost felt like I was reading a completely different story since I'd spent so long writing them in 11 and 12 as tense and angry. Anyways, there's my fun fact for this chapter. Please feel free to continue the fun by leaving a review with your thoughts! Next chapter brings Christmas vacation and some revelations and decisions for Rose. I just have to finish writing it first... haha!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ok, so here we go again! Thank you to those who favourited, followed, and, of course, reviewed! If you can't already tell, I am Canadian, definitely NOT British. It's been a struggle, trying to make them seem British. Sometimes I just realize I don't sound in the least bit British so I'll stick a random word in there and then it just sounds bad... haha so sorry about that!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

I kept myself as occupied as possible in the days that followed my visit to the hospital wing. I couldn't bear to think about my conversation with Scorpius, and the gossip swirling throughout the castle wasn't helping either. I usually didn't pay much attention to it, but it was hard to avoid. It was even worse than the whispers surrounding my reconciliation with Adrian, probably because people seemed to have caught on that Scorpius was somehow involved. The rumours ranged from Adrian walked in on us hugging and got the wrong idea, to Adrian and Scorpius duelled over me and, when Adrian lost, he took to the Quidditch pitch to have the last say. None of the rumours were correct, obviously, but they still grated on my nerves. Even though I vehemently denied Scorpius's involvement, I worried that Adrian was saying the opposite. Of course, I couldn't know for sure since we hadn't spoken since the Quidditch match.

I found that homework worked best to keep my mind occupied. I finished everything I had due in the coming week, and then the next month's patrol schedule in my desperation. Unable to sit in the library any longer (I had taken to avoiding the depressingly empty dormitory), I decided to take the schedules around to kill half an hour. I started with Slytherin, since it was in the dungeons, with the idea of working my way up.

"Hey, Rose," Gage greeted me on his way out, "What brings you down here behind enemy lines?"

I smiled in return, "Just bringing the patrol schedules."

"Already? Scor doesn't usually come with them until the last week of the month."

"Well, I've been trying to keep things organized and running smoothly in his… absence."

"Sure you aren't just trying to distract yourself?" He asked knowingly.

I felt my spine stiffen despite my attempt to remain indifferent.

"You should go see him," he told me, leaning against the wall casually and crossing his arms.

I shook my head, "I already went to see him. I don't think he wants another visit."

"I think what he wants is to avoid getting hurt. You've already shot him down once; he doesn't want it to happen again. He's a guarded person, Rose. He opened up and, well…"

"He, uh, he told you about, um… everything?" I asked, trying to remain casual but failing miserably.

Gage grinned, "Well he couldn't really talk to Al about it, now could he?" I conceded to that point. "He gets released in two days. If you don't go visit him again, at least make sure you see him once he gets out in the morning."

I nodded uncertainly as he pushed off the wall and headed out of the common room, leaving me alone in front of the notice board.

* * *

"Would you stop hovering?" Dominique asked, irritated.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just… I already finished my work and have nothing else to do!" I replied, sitting back in my chair.

"You finished all of it? Even the Herbology diagram?" She gaped at me. "That thing's going to take me at least four hours."

I scoffed, "You're exaggerating. It only took me an hour to draw and label and then another to answer the questions, but I was really thorough."

"There are questions?!" She exclaimed, dropping her head into her hands, "Make that six hours."

I rolled my eyes, "It won't be that bad, Dom. I'll draw it for you, if you want?"

Her head jerked up to look at me like I'd grown a second head. "You're seriously offering to do my homework?" She reached across the table and placed her hand on my forehead. "Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"I'm fine. Just unbelievably bored."

"Not that I'm ungrateful for your offer, but I feel like it would be taking advantage so I'm going to have to regretfully decline or you'll never let me hear the end of it."

At that moment, I recognized the sound of Albus's laughter coming from the portrait hole and turned to see him coming through with Emily. She was blushing furiously and shoved his arm, grinning despite her embarrassment at whatever he'd said.

"You are awful, Al!" She exclaimed as they drew close enough for us to hear.

He held up his hands in defence, "It's not my fault Peeves thought it was you."

Her jaw dropped, "Yes it was! You pointed straight at me!"

Al waved a hand in dismissal, "Oh well… a little excitement in your life would be good for you. Now you have Peeves to watch out for. It'll keep you on your toes."

Emily shook her head, laughing under her breath. "I can't believe you."

"I know, I'm too fantastic for words," he said, grinning cheekily.

"What exactly did we miss?" Dom asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked between the two.

"Al jinxed Peeves and blamed me for it," Emily sighed, leaning back in the chair she'd plopped onto.

I whacked Al on the back of the head.

"So how's Scorpius doing?" Emily asked with a subtle glance in my direction.

Al nodded his head, "Good. He's doing a lot better. They're releasing him in two days. His hand looks promising and his spine and internal damage are pretty much healed. He just needs to take it easy for a while to give his body time to recuperate."

I snorted, "Scorpius? Taking it easy? That's like instructing a Hippogriff not to fly."

* * *

The morning of Scorpius's release I sat in the common area of the dormitory trying not to jump to my feet and pace. I wasn't sure why I was so nervous, considering he was likely to just walk right past me once he came in. Nothing to be anxious about at all.

At half past ten, the sound of the portrait swinging open caught my attention. I turned to face it, still unsure what I was going to say to him. What exactly was appropriate for this situation? I was out of time to make that particular decision, so I settled on, "Hey."

Lame, I know.

He looked up, slightly surprised to see me. "Hey…"

"How, uh, how are you feeling?" I asked tentatively.

"Better," he replied stiffly, "The healers told me I was supposed to rest, so…"

"Right, of course. I won't keep you," I said, stepping aside and gesturing to his staircase. He started up slower than he usually would have, a sign of just how much he was feeling the aftereffects of Adrian's idiocy. "Scorpius!" I called after him. He turned his head to look back at me, and I clenched my hands in front of me. "I'm glad you're ok."

He nodded once. "Thanks."

I sighed and flopped down on the couch once he'd disappeared upstairs. All of that worry for nothing, as usual.

* * *

"Any word from James?" I asked Emily as we sat in the library a couple of days before the end of term.

She shook her head sadly. "Not anything substantial. I don't know what's going on with him. Last night he was saying strange things."

"Strange how?" I asked, leaning forward on the table.

She shrugged. "Like how I have so many more years of training and apprenticeship ahead of me to become a healer and this year wouldn't be the last we'd spend mostly apart. I don't know what's going on with him, Rose, and he won't talk to me about it."

I sighed. "He will when he's ready. He probably doesn't have it all sorted out yet. Have you asked Al about it at all? Maybe James was more open with him."

She shook her head. "No, I wouldn't want to put him that kind of position. If James said anything, it was in confidence and I don't want Al to feel like he has to break that. But enough about my mess of a relationship, how goes your trainwreck?"

I laughed. "Let's not even go there." Even though I had more or less admitted to myself that perhaps I might have some sort of attraction to Scorpius, it didn't mean I knew what to do about it. He'd made his feelings pretty clear lately, so there wasn't even anything I could do should I decide that I wanted to pursue… whatever this was.

"You're no fun," Em pouted.

"He barely talks to me. Whatever potential that held is gone. It's for the best, though. I may not know exactly what I want, but I know I _don't_ want a huge mess."

"How would it be a mess?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"A Weasley and a Malfoy? How is that _not_ a mess?"

She shook her head, smiling slightly. "There you go again. Why don't you just think about Rose and Scorpius? You're more than your last names."

"I know, I know. I just... Can you imagine my dad's face?" Emily laughed at that, and I had to join in when I couldn't suppress my own giggle. "Besides, this all assumes Scorpius would even be on the same page. That's a big assumption to make."

"True, but it's like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, isn't it? No pumpkin juice without some earwax."

I snorted, "That has got to be the worst analogy ever."

* * *

The day we left for Christmas holidays I sat in the common area waiting for Scorpius once again. I had no idea what I wanted to say to him, once again. I just knew that I wanted to try to repair whatever might be left of our friendship and go from there. I wanted to learn to let go of my fear of defying expectations. I wanted to be Rose, instead of Rose Weasley.

He came down just after nine. He was walking a lot more easily than he had been when he was first released, but stopped moving when he saw me. I took this as a good sign, since he usually kept walking.

"I just… I wanted to apologize. For me this time. I shouldn't have crossed the line just to jump back to the other side of it. It wasn't fair to you, but I was confused. I've spent the past six years thinking you were this arrogant git I had nothing in common with, only to be proven completely wrong. I'm Rose Weasley. I'm supposed to have everything figured out. I'm not supposed to… I'm not supposed to feel anything for a Malfoy. When I did, it scared me and I panicked, okay? I don't even know what I feel, but I do know that it isn't what I'm supposed to. I'm not supposed to miss talking to you, but I do, and I don't know what to do with that other than say I'm sorry I made such a giant mess of things."

"So what are you saying?"

I bit my lip. "I don't know. I guess just that I was confused and I'm sorry that I hurt you because of it."

He nodded stiffly, saying nothing in reply. For once, I didn't let myself keep talking past what I originally wanted to accomplish, and left before I could convince myself I should. For now, an apology was enough. It wasn't a good idea to get involved with him, anyways. Look what happened the first time: I dropped my secure plan for the future, as well as my relatively stable boyfriend. What did I end up with? Nothing. Just a lot of confusion and pain. Definitely worth all of that…

* * *

"So, Christmas plans. Please tell me at least one of you is doing something more exciting than sitting around the house like me," Al pouted from his seat next to Scorpius in the train compartment. Everyone shook their heads, so Al turned to Scorpius. "C'mon Scor, you always do something more exciting than I do."

He half-shrugged, "I'm going to the Caribbean with my parents, but it's for my mother's work so it'll be boring."

"See? At least you'll see the outside of your bedroom. The closest I'll get is seeing Rose," he grumbled.

"Gee thanks, cuz. Love you, too. But you actually might not see that much of me. At least not during the day."

"What? Why not?" He asked, looking alarmed. It was almost like being trapped in a reasonably large house with only Lily and his parents for company was undesirable…

"Mum arranged for me to shadow the Head of the Muggle Relations department for a few days during the break. If it goes well I'll pretty much have a job after Hogwarts."

Al scoffed and mumbled something about me being a keener while Scorpius frowned and looked at me properly for the first time since the train left the station.

"What about your… other ideas?" He asked.

My heart rate picked up a bit at the fact that he'd addressed me directly. "This is a chance at a sure thing. I'd be stupid to turn it down on the off chance that something else comes along."

"Is it what you really want?" He probed. I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and instantly regretted it. Now I couldn't look away, and all of the compartment's occupants were looking between us with confused expressions.

I shrugged. "It's an amazing opportunity."

"But is it what you want?"

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool when all I wanted to do was send a well-aimed hex in his direction. I was 17, after all; it was perfectly legal… Maybe not really exemplary behaviour from a Head Girl, but still legal. "Yes."

I saw the recognition of my lie in his eyes. He seemed to remember we weren't alone, however, and chose to turn back to look out the window instead of calling me on it. He spent the rest of the journey in silence, leaving Al to talk to Emily since I showed no signs of speaking, either, and Gage, Ben, and Dominique all popped in and out of the compartment throughout the day. Once we hit the platform, he bid goodbye to Al, then turned to me and hesitated. I could feel the tension and wondered what he was going to do. It wouldn't surprise me if he ignored me completely.

"Have a good holiday, Rose," he said politely.

I blinked in surprise before managing to spit out, "Yeah, you too."

Al looked as though he was about to say something when James materialized suddenly, startling us both.

"Hello little brother, little cousins," he greeted us with a smile. He faltered when he turned to Emily. "Hi."

She tried to smile but seemed more nervous than anything. "Hi."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Dominique whacked James on the head. "Well, don't just stand there staring at her all day, you idiot."

It seemed to be what he needed because he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her waist as she pulled hers around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"God I've missed you," Emily sighed, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Trying to remain unnoticed, I pulled Albus and Dominique away from the pair. Dominique left us quickly afterward, leaving just me and Al.

"I hope they sort it all out."

Al glanced back at them for a split second after I spoke. "Yeah, maybe then James will stop acting like such a girl."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"He's been writing me at least once per week asking how Emily's doing. When I tell him she's fine he wonders if maybe she's handling the distance so well because she's falling out of love with him, or if there's someone else," he explained, a look of irritation on his face, "It's a bit annoying really."

I gaped at him, so many things swirling in my head I couldn't decide which one to put into words first. Finally, I settled on: "What?"

"He's worried she doesn't feel the same way anymore, or that she never felt as strongly for him as he does for her since she doesn't mope around constantly. It makes him wonder what will happen after Hogwarts, while she's off training, almost like she couldn't apparate to see him in a split second if she wanted. He's basically mad because she hasn't stopped her life to sit and miss him all the time."

"You've got to be kidding me. She loves him! She sits in the castle missing him while he's throwing his stupid parties!"

"Well, that's James for you. A hypocrite if there ever was one," Al replied bitterly. I looked at him in surprise. It wasn't like Al to take that attitude when referring to his brother. In fact, I hadn't heard him say a negative thing about James since back in first year, when he was still consumed by nerves at the prospect of living up to the image of a 'Potter'.

"He's probably just a little nervous. It's the first time he's ever been in a serious relationship, and the first time he's had to deal with distance. I mean, look at Adrian. He dumped me rather than trying his hand at long distance. It's natural to be a bit wary. James'll straighten himself out once he's had time to get used to the idea. They'll figure out the way to make it work."

"What makes you so sure?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. We'd reached a silent consensus to stop and scout the platform for our family since our aimless wandering was getting us nowhere.

"They love each other," I told him simply, "They'll find a way to make it work."

"I thought you didn't believe in having to make it work?"

I was silent for a second, wrapping my head around my own logic. "Well, every relationship has rough patches. At a certain point it either resolves itself or it doesn't. My rough patch with Adrian didn't ever sort itself out. We just got stuck in a loop of 'making it work' because, well, we fell out of love. This thing with Emily and James will sort itself out."

"How can you tell?" He demanded.

"Did you see his face when he saw her? There's no way he's _not_ in love with her. If you still have love, you can find your way back to not having to make it work."

"Honestly, he just looked kind of constipated to me…" He mumbled, scanning the crowd. I hit him in the arm. "Oh look, there's your mum!"

I rolled my eyes at Al's very non-subtle method of changing of the subject and led the way toward the sea of red.

* * *

My first day with the Muggle Relations department head was dead boring. My second day was worse. I honestly couldn't think of anything duller than this job. I spent the day pretending to be interested in the documents Mr. Thicke was showing me, but all I could think about was how I couldn't imagine spending my days poring over these very documents and managing the situations he was describing. I would rather spend my days in a lab experimenting with the elements and attempting to discover new advancements for the medical field. I wanted to make a difference, and while I was sure this department was important in its own way, it wasn't the kind of difference I wanted to make. I wanted to help people who maybe couldn't have helped themselves otherwise, and I couldn't see how a job in Muggle Relations would accomplish that.

Given that particular revelation, I now had no interest in watching Mr. Thicke work. However, I couldn't very well tell anyone that. I had to stick it out. That gave me quite a lot of time to think about… well, anything else. Letting my mind drift aimlessly wasn't a luxury I often allowed myself, so it was always fun to see where it ended up.

"_You know, you don't have to do what people expect of you."_

Ok, so I guess that was kind of expected.

"_H__owever you want to lay blame, it shouldn't have happened."_

"_Right."_

"_So, can we just pretend it didn't? I like being your friend and I don't want things to be weird."_

"_Sure."_

"_I just feel like Adrian doesn't really know me. Not anymore, at least. There are things I talked to Scorpius about that Adrian just didn't get. It's like he doesn't get me anymore."_

"_And Scorpius does."_

"_I figured it wouldn't be this big of a deal. You've kissed lots of girls; I'm just one of many."_

_He pressed his lips together into a thin line, rocking back on his heels. "Right. I'm the one you can throw yourself at when you're having problems with your boyfriend without the worry that I'll have any kind of feelings whatsoever. You can use me to your heart's content because I'm, what did you call it? A 'Hogwarts Hunk'?"_

"_It wasn't because of Adrian. I wasn't just using you to make myself feel better. It wasn't just some random-"_

"_We can't-"_

"_No, _you_ can't, Rose. You can't. Because I'm a Malfoy."_

"_Scorpius was someone I could be myself around, you know? Scorpius had no expectations."_

Suddenly, my mind hitched on something and I backtracked quickly.

"_I'm the one you can throw yourself at when you're having problems with your boyfriend without the worry that I'll have any kind of feelings whatsoever. You can use me to your heart's content because I'm, what did you call it? A 'Hogwarts Hunk'?"_

"_I'm the one you can throw yourself at when you're having problems with your boyfriend without the worry that I'll have any kind of feelings whatsoever."_

"…_without the worry that I'll have any kind of feelings whatsoever."_

Scorpius Malfoy has feelings for me? How did I not realize this before? He bloody well said it right to me. I took a moment to process this before I remembered what a colossal mess I'd made of the situation and sighed. Had. He _had_ feelings for me.

This day officially sucked.

* * *

"So how's the Ministry thing going?" Al asked, laying back on his bed.

I shrugged from my place leaning against the wall. "It's nothing special."

"So this has all been a gigantic waste of time, then?"

I nodded.

Al sighed noisily. "You have _got_ to be kidding me! I've been going bonkers holed up here with only Lily for company, and you could have been here the entire time?"

I rolled my eyes. "You make it sound like I'm your only friend."

"Well, no, but you're the only one available pretty much all the time."

I flicked my wand at one of the pillows he'd thrown to the ground, sending it flying into his face before he could react.

"Ok, ok, I surrender!" He shouted when I sent another one right after.

"You know, if you want to be an Auror, you should probably keep your wand handy… and get some faster reaction times," I teased.

He stuck his tongue out at me, the very picture of maturity.

"You know why I first wanted to be an Auror, Rosie?" He asked suddenly, breaking the companionable silence that had fallen between us. I missed being able to just sit in his room for hours in a comfortable silence only interrupted by the occasional miniature conversation.

"Why?" I responded, genuinely curious. He'd never really given a reason; we just always knew that was what he wanted to do. I assumed it was because of Uncle Harry.

"Because James didn't," he told me, staring up at the ceiling, "I was looking for that one thing that would separate me from my brother in the eyes of our family, and that was it."

I frowned. "But you and James aren't the same, Al. Everyone knows that, and it isn't just because you want to be an Auror."

"I know that now, but I was only ten when I decided. I guess over time the idea grew on me. Now I can't imagine being anything else."

"I started taking Alchemy to set myself apart from my parents," I admitted. It was the first time I'd ever done so aloud. "Now I can't imagine doing anything else either."

This new information didn't seem to faze my cousin. "James was always loud and obnoxious, funny yet charming. I didn't want people to see me as a double of him. That's why I was so shy and quiet when we were younger."

"What changed?" I asked, even though I already suspected the answer.

"Scorpius. I made a joke about Derrick one day in Potions and he looked at me, dumbfounded, for a second and then came out with "you're pretty funny, Potter". After that I started opening up more. He felt like someone I could be myself around, you know?" It was the same thing I'd said to Emily. I didn't speak, just nodded, allowing him to continue. It was rare for Al to open up this much to anyone. "Then one day he asked me why I wasn't like that with everyone else. I told him I couldn't be, because it wasn't what anyone expected of me and it was too much like James. I didn't want to be like James. I put the question back on him, and he said the exact opposite of me. He said he acted the way he did because it was what was expected of him. He needed to act like his father. That was the day we actually became friends. We both decided to put our surnames behind us and just be us, you know? And I realized I actually _do_ want to be an Auror, and not just because James doesn't. But then everything became all convoluted and screwed up, because then it was a competition. Instead of wanting to be my brother's opposite, I started wanting to best him in everything. I still do."

I laughed softly. "Al, that's just sibling rivalry."

"I tried out for Quidditch because of him. We may have played different positions, but I wanted to be the better player. It never did happen. We both made Captain, sure, but our chances of winning the Cup this year are slim to none. James led us to victory both years he was Captain. James made Prefect and Head Boy. James got-" He faltered, "James got everything possible. He's the Golden Boy they'll talk about, and they'll be left to wonder what went wrong with Albus."

It was ridiculous for me to feel a small glimmer of happiness that someone else in this family was as messed up as I was, but I did. Yes, I was happy that Albus felt the pressure of being a Potter just as surely as I felt the weight of being a Weasley. I'm a terrible cousin and an even worse friend.

"Albus, you know that's not true. So what if you don't do everything James did at Hogwarts. It's only seven years of your life. It's what you do after that that matters. Achieving everything James did doesn't make you a better or worse person. It makes you your own person."

He snorted.

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied. Hearing my responding silence, he caved, "It's just… you sounded an awful lot like Scor just then."

I smiled a bit at that. "We had a conversation slightly similar to this one once."

"Oh, so you're just ripping off his words, then? I never took you to be a copier, Rose Weasley," he teased. I could tell he was grinning, even if I couldn't see his face.

"Don't make me throw another pillow at you."

* * *

Christmas morning dawned far too quickly for my liking, since it marked the halfway point of the break. I prayed for time to drag more slowly, even though I was eager to return to school. I couldn't help but remember that my return to Hogwarts after the break would mark the beginning of the end of my school career. It was coming way too quickly, and I'd wasted far too much time this past term wrapped up in _boy drama._ Me. Rose Weasley.

A knock at my bedroom door startled me into a sitting position. It was Hugo, come to get me as was our tradition. "Hey, sis."

I smiled, throwing the covers back. When we were younger, he always used to come get me to go downstairs and scout the presents before our parents awoke. That way, we both got in trouble, not just him. As the years wore on, we kept the tradition. Now, Christmas was the one day each year that the two of us would wake up early and spend the hours before our parents dragged themselves out of bed talking and joking with each other.

"I'm going to miss this," Hugo told me during a lapse in conversation.

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, next year you won't be here, so this is the last time we'll get to do this, isn't it?"

I blinked, realizing that he was right. This was the last time we'd get to do this. Without realizing it, my eyes filled with tears in a sudden, overwhelming moment. This was the last Christmas I'd spend under my parents' roof. Next year, who knew where I'd be?

"Hey," Hugo said softly, pulling me into an awkward hug. We weren't very affectionate siblings normally. "I didn't mean to-"

I shook my head, trying to bring myself back under control. "It wasn't you. It just- It all kind of hit me at once, you know? Everything's ending."

This time he shook his head. "Nah, it's just beginning, Rosie."

I smiled slightly, successfully preventing any tears from actually falling. Scratch that. One managed to escape before I could stop it, but only one. Crying on Christmas had to be a first for me. I hadn't even cried when Hugo stepped on my toy broomstick an hour after presents were opened, or when I'd burnt myself on the turkey because I was too impatient to wait for Grandma Weasley to finish with it.

"Oi, what's this? Our children, actually touching?" My dad's voice broke us apart. I turned my head and wiped away the stray tear hastily before he noticed. I didn't want to cause a scene.

"That was a once in a lifetime opportunity, that was. I hope you took a mental picture," Hugo told him, grinning. I was grateful to him for trying to give me time to get myself together.

"Hey 'Mione, you just missed the moment we've been waiting seventeen years to see," Dad called up the stairs, laughing.

"What's that, dear?" She asked, coming into view.

"Proof that our children actually _do_ love each other."

Mum and I rolled our eyes simultaneously, but laughed despite ourselves.

"Alright, alright, can we get to the important stuff, please?" Hugo asked, exasperated. "Presents!"

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so I was going to keep going, but I figured this was long enough, and I'm due to leave a chapter on a happier note, considering the last two endings I've given you guys… So, without further ado, reviews would be lovely while I consider whether Rose and Socrpius will talk in the next chapter… hint hint… **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Ok, here's an update! There's also a surprise about halfway through!**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"Dominique, dear, could you take these out to the tents, please? Fred don't you dare touch that turkey! Don't you remember the year Rose burned herself?" Grandma scolded from her place by the sink. Turning and seeing me in the doorway, she smiled apologetically. "Rose, darling! Well? Come over here and give your Grandmother a hug!"

I smiled widely as I allowed myself to be engulfed in her arms.

"Fred, I mean it!" She snapped over my shoulder. I shook my head, grinning at my cousin. Grandma's back was to him and she still knew what he was up to. "Ronald, that goes for you, too!"

I laughed outright as Dad looked appropriately abashed, withdrawing his hand.

"Oh, come off it, Mum. I'm a grown man."

"So you should know better by now," she told him, shooting him a look only a mother could. He mumbled something under his breath and I ducked out of the kitchen before seeing the fallout. If you'd seen it once, you'd seen it a thousand times. Right about now, Grandma was asking Dad what he'd said and Dad was saying it was nothing. Enter Mum, who would team up with Grandma, and eventually Dad would cave and go find Uncle Harry to escape the estrogen.

"Is it the usual chaos in there?" Dom asked as I stepped outside.

I nodded. "Fred's trying to eat the turkey again."

"Seriously? Doesn't he remember the year you got burned?" She asked. I was never going to live that down. "Granted, he and James were the ones who put you up to that… 'Who would suspect sweet, innocent Rosie?' You almost pulled it off, too, but you had to go and tip the thing. Still, a fine rebellious moment in the life of Rose Weasley."

I laughed along with her as we walked aimlessly through the snow toward the garden. It might be cold outside, but soon enough we'd be plenty warm inside the heated tents Uncle Bill and Uncle Percy had erected before we'd arrived. We could take a few minutes of cold if it meant some peace and quiet before the chaos that was our family.

"So how goes it with…" I trailed off, completely forgetting the name of whichever guy Dom was currently seeing.

"Colin?" She supplied. I nodded sheepishly. At least my cheeks were already pink with cold. She sighed. "I dumped him last week."

"What was wrong with this one?" I asked, realizing too late how insensitive it sounded. It got a little old after a while, though, listening to Dominique go on and on about her latest boy with dreamy eyes for about two weeks, and then promptly announce she tossed him (usually for no good reason). "Sorry."

"It's fine. He… He always wanted to sit and cuddle. I'm not really one for cuddling."

I faked a gasp of surprise. 'You're not? I had no idea!"

"Ha ha," she replied, staring out at the garden for a second before turning to look back at me, "But seriously? He's in the Room of Requirement with Dominique Weasley and all he wants to do is curl up by the fireplace and talk? Who does that anymore?"

I laughed this time, appreciating the honesty of the statement. It _was_ rare to find a guy who just wanted to cuddle. "Talking is how you get to know each other. I thought you wanted someone who wanted to do all those relationship-type things."

She shrugged. "I do… but cuddling all the time just makes me feel ridiculous and claustrophobic. There's a time and place for it, you know?"

I had a feeling Dom's reluctance had more to do with her fear of letting anyone in, but knew it would be a bad idea to call her on it. I didn't get a chance to reply, though, as Albus's voice interrupted us. "Oi! How come you didn't invite me to the party?"

I grinned, turning to watch him trudge through the snow toward us. "You can join in if you like. We were just discussing the merits of cuddling."

Al stopped in his tracks with a horrified look on his face. "Clearly you need my presence to liven things up, then."

"Where's James? Fred had to try to nick the turkey without him!"

Al's eyes dropped to watch his path through the snow as he replied, "He stayed behind to give Em her present before they come for dinner."

"She's coming? Brilliant!" Dom exclaimed, clapping her hands. It was almost like she hadn't just seen Emily five days ago.

We stood in the cold for another fifteen minutes, watching the Burrow gradually fill up with our family. Teddy and Victoire, newly married just last year, were nearly the last to arrive and there was still no sign of James. It wasn't like him to be the last to a family gathering. Especially not Christmas.

Spotting Fred trudging toward us in the snow, Dom called out, "Is it time yet?"

"Sure is," he replied, a wicked grin spreading across his face and alerting us too late to his intentions as he removed his hands from his pockets.

I didn't have time to react before I felt something hit me in the back of the head at the same time as two more snowballs struck Al and Dom. I spun around to see James standing behind us, grinning widely.

"Hiya, Rosie. Miss me?" He asked innocently.

"You are so dead."

The group of us erupted into chaos all at once, Al, Dom, and I hurling snowballs back at Fred, James, and their third co-conspirator, an unspoken agreement between us to forgo magic. I saw a flash of blonde out of the corner of my eye as I launched a snowball back at James. Emily was behind the third snowball, that traitor. James was as bad an influence on her as she was a good one on him.

Suddenly, a huge bunch of snow dumped on all six of us, causing us to freeze in our tracks and search for the source of it.

"Dinner's ready, kids," Uncle George said simply, grinning widely as he turned and headed back to the tents.

"Oi! We're all adults here, Dad!" Fred called after his retreating form.

I just laughed, enjoying the feeling of being truly carefree for a moment. It felt nice. Unfortunately, the cold and wet caught up with me all too quickly, and I pointed my wand at myself silently to dry off. I did the same to Dom straight after, noticing Emily copying me, only to have James shake his hair out and hit her with the droplets. She shrieked, laughing as he grinned and pulled her into a bear hug rivalling Grandma Weasley's, spinning her around. It completely defeated the purpose of drying her clothes.

"Ahh! James!" She scolded, trying in vain to escape his arms, but negating her anger by laughing once again as the pair toppled into the snow. I joined their laughter, glad to see them so normal. I turned to head toward the house, seeing Al already halfway there. I skipped ahead to catch up with him, aiming my wand and drying the clothes I noticed he hadn't bothered to.

"Thanks," he mumbled, glancing back in my direction.

"What's up with you?" I asked, looping my arm with his.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just can't wait to eat."

I nodded, even though I got the feeling there was more to it than that.

* * *

"So, Rosie, how's Davies doing?" James asked through a mouthful of potatoes.

"What do you care?" I asked in return. "And stop calling me that!"

He shrugged. "I don't. I just wanted to be polite."

Emily smacked him on the arm, shooting me an apologetic glance as he looked abashed.

"Well, you don't have to bother asking that anymore. We broke up," I supplied, conveniently stuffing my mouth with my own forkful of potatoes to have an excuse not to talk anymore.

"Oh. What happened?" He asked.

"Well, if you believe the gossip, Scorpius Malfoy happened," Dom singsonged, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. I glared daggers at her, regretting my mouth full of food.

"Sorry, what?" James asked after he finished choking on his juice.

"Relax, James. That's nothing to do with it," I snapped after swallowing. Only Emily knew that statement to be partly false.

"Well, obviously," he said as though he'd never believed it. "Just a few months ago we were placing bets on when you'd do each other in." Silence fell between us for a few moments before it apparently became too much for James to handle. "How about you, little brother? How's Malfoy doing?"

Al choked on the peas he'd been trying to swallow, staring down the table at his brother. "Why are you asking me about him for?"

"Well, I figure he's the closest thing to a girlfriend you've got," James answered, drawing laughter from those sitting nearest him.

Al turned a delicate shade of pink and stabbed a carrot.

"James! Be nice," Emily warned.

"I was being nice!" He answered, grinning.

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "You're hopeless."

"That I am. Hopelessly in love with you."

She rolled her eyes at that. "Have I also mentioned extremely cheesy?"

"You love me anyways."

She didn't reply, just rolled her eyes again and fought another smile. I smiled, too, at her reaction. The first time James had said those three magic words, Emily showed up in my room in tears. Not a predictable reaction, I know, but Emily tended to freak out at every big step they took. Her biggest fear was becoming her parents, and every step forward they took seemed like one step closer to that inevitability to her. In fact, when we were covering Boggarts in third year, hers morphed into her parents screaming at each other. We were sure it would be the topic of gossip before Scorpius's turned into the Sorting Hat shouting "Gryffindor!" No one really understood what it meant at the time, so those of us hanging on to our prejudices just assumed that his greatest fear was to be sorted into Gryffindor and used it as ammunition to continue hating him. Now, I saw it for what it really was: a fear of being different than expectations dictated he should be, a fear of disappointing his father, and a fear of what it meant that a part of him _wanted_ to choose Gryffindor that day.

* * *

"Mum, can I talk to you for a second?" I asked timidly as I sat at the kitchen counter. She looked up from where she was directing vegetables to chop themselves with her wand. She was trying to make soup that was actually edible this time. Hermione Weasley was a lot of things, but a cook wasn't one of them, no matter how hard she tried. She could manage simple things, but trying to make soups or casseroles was beyond her. It was funny, when you thought about it. The cleverest witch in her year at Hogwarts and she can barely cook.

"Sure, sweetie, what is it?" She asked, brushing hair off her forehead. At that moment, Dad came into the kitchen. He brushed past Mum, placing his hand tenderly on her waist as he did so. As gross as it was, watching my parents' intimacy, I was glad they could still have the little moments after all these years. Didn't make me any less nervous though. It was hard enough having this conversation with Mum.

"Oh, good. Dad's here, too. Lovely," I mumbled, looking down at the table to collect myself.

"Alright, Rosie?" Dad asked, filling a glass with water and taking a sip. He looked so unsuspecting.

"Er, well… So you know I shadowed Mr. Thicke from the Ministry."

"Of course, dear. How did that go? Did he seem impressed? I'm sure I'll hear all about it the next time I see him," Mum gushed, smiling brightly. She looked so happy in that instant, so proud of me, that I couldn't imagine myself wiping all of that away. What kind of daughter would I be to do that?

"_You don't want to disappoint your parents by telling them you like something that won't get you a job in the precious Ministry after school."_

"_Why are you letting expectations push you into something you don't like?"_

I took a deep breath. This was the one time in my life I should be selfish, wasn't it? I shouldn't be afraid to make waves, right? It all seemed so much simpler back at Hogwarts in the dormitory with Scorpius.

* * *

**Scorpius's Point of View (This is the surprise haha)**

Christmas day dawned hot and humid. It took me a moment to recall what day it even was. Christmas with the Malfoys wasn't really a big deal anymore. When I was younger, sure, I was excited to open presents and eat as much as I could stuff in my mouth, but then I got to be 'too old' for the festivities. At least that's what Father told me. He said that his family stopped truly celebrating Christmas when he was around fourteen, and he thought it was good for him. He told me I'd much prefer travelling to other countries during the breaks to get some 'life experience' over staying in the same old house.

Not that you could call Malfoy Manor old. After the War, while Grandfather Lucius was still in Azkaban, my Grandmother Narcissa and Father had the old house demolished and constructed a new one in its place. They then proceeded to ban Grandfather Lucius from entering it. After her own release from the wizarding prison, Grandmother Narcissa severed ties with Grandfather Lucius, as did my father.

Sighing, I threw the covers back and padded over to the bathroom, splashing water on my face with the hand not in a cast to stop the thoughts of my messed up family, wincing at the slight pang in my back remaining from the Quidditch incident when I bent over the sink. My parents loved me, I knew that much, but that didn't make us a conventional family. My father had always been reserved, an aftereffect of the War, and my mother had always been loving and warm toward me, but it was never the type of familial love the Weasley-Potter clan had. I was jealous of Rose and Al for having that. Right now, they were likely waking up in their own beds to open presents in their own houses before heading off for a big family dinner. Al told me he was jealous of my travels, but I'd give anything to be at home right now. Last year we went to France, so at least there was snow and it felt a bit like Christmas. Here, it just felt like any other day.

A soft tapping at the window disrupted my thoughts. I turned to see the tropical bird I'd sent with Al's Christmas present, figuring he'd find it humorous, maybe brighten his holiday a bit. Glancing at his letter, I'd guessed right.

_Scor,_

_I want to go wherever you found this bird! You should've seen the look on Mum's face when it came through the window, or tried to at least. She's trying to feed it as I write this but it doesn't seem to want anything. Oh, wait, she's just given up and told me it's my responsibility since you're _my_ friend. Thanks for that, mate._

_On a serious note, I thank you greatly for your gift of One-Stop Procrastination Station. It will contrast nicely with the homework planner I'm sure Aunt Hermione got me yet again… Did that sentence sound mature? Mum just told me it was time to start growing up. What do you think? Does it suit me? Apparently it suits James just fine. Ever since he started dating Emily Mum's been going on and on about how grown up he's become… Obviously she doesn't know or care about all those parties._

_Speaking of my dear brother, he's been hinting that he's got a surprise for us, but he insists on telling Emily first. When did my brother become this guy? It's hard to believe he's still James sometimes. Wow, I sounded like such a girl just then. I guess he's not the only one she's changing. Spending all this time with her at Hogwarts is making me a sap._

_Anyways, I guess I should be going. Lily's just now dragged herself out of bed and James will be here any minute to open presents._

I stopped and frowned at the splotch of ink covering the paper beside the sentence. Had he dropped his quill?

_Scratch that. He's here. He's just apparated right behind me, and wants me to add he was very impressed by the bird. Now he's pestering me to join the family so we can open presents. Mature, my ass… _

_I'll send this straight after. Hope you enjoy your present. Happy Christmas!_

_-Al_

I read through the letter once more, trying to absorb it all. Al's letter writing technique was definitely unique. He never crossed out any stray thought and never edited. I was convinced it was because he couldn't be bothered, but he insisted he did it for the charm of the reader knowing exactly what went through his mind while he was writing the letter. I remembered the first time I'd received a letter from him and been flabbergasted at the contents. It was like a running commentary of everything happening around him from the time he sat at the table until the time he stood up, with the actual purpose of the letter peppered throughout the random information. It was frustrating at times, trying to sort through it all, but today I welcomed his strange correspondence.

I turned to the parcels accompanying the letter. They'd be a bit difficult to open with one hand, but I'd manage. One contained the homework planner he'd got from his Aunt Hermione, as always, making me laugh. I had six of them stashed away, this one making seven. It started in first year as a joke when he'd complained about it as we were getting exams back. Seeing the 'O' on my paper, he'd flung it in front of me and told me his Aunt would be pleased if she knew it was being put to good use by a fellow keener. For some reason, this had turned into a tradition. A tradition that ended this year, I realized, as I read the inscription he always included on the first page.

_Last one! Put it to good use and perhaps you can finally edge out Rose for top of the class, yeah? Just don't tell her I said that…_

He was right. This was the last time his Aunt Hermione would give him a homework planner, it being our last year at Hogwarts and all. I wasn't ready to leave quite yet. Hogwarts had become my home over the years. I loved my parents, but they couldn't offer me the life that Hogwarts did. At Hogwarts, I wasn't a Malfoy (for the most part), I was just Scorpius. I was Al Potter's best mate, a 'Hogwarts Hunk' as Rose put it. No one judged me by my surname anymore, and leaving the safety of that meant I'd have to start all over again from the bottom. This time, Al wouldn't be by my side to prop me up, either. We were taking different directions, and that meant I had to forge a career path by myself. I had to find an internship with a law firm that wouldn't immediately dismiss the idea of a Malfoy working there, but it had to be a reputable firm, too. My only desire was to live the life I wanted, not the one everyone else thought I should, so I wouldn't prove everyone right by joining on with some crooked deal. Merlin, now Al had _me_ sounding like a sap.

I shook my head, wincing at the slight pain in my spine as I swiveled back to the other parcel. I would never admit it to anyone else, but waking up without the ability to feel my legs absolutely terrified me. I probably would have had a heart attack right then had the healers not explained it would come back. I definitely wasn't up to full shape, but at least I could walk. Playing Quidditch was still unknown, though. Given the way my back was acting up at sudden movements, I doubted I'd be back in game shape in time for our next match. They told me that was to be expected, but just once I wanted to beat the expectations. This one time, I could safely be better than anyone thought I could without them expecting anything more from me later on. This would just be a physical miracle, nothing else. But it wasn't going to happen.

I pushed the thoughts aside, unwrapping the present he'd actually gotten me. Surprisingly, he'd gotten me a book, even though he was always complaining I read too much. Flipping it over to read the title, I found myself actually touched. _The Roommate Survival Guide: How Not to Kill Each Other in the First Year._ After my conversation with Rose, I'd said yes to Al's request to move in with him, but neither of us had spoken about it since. He hadn't changed his mind, at least. I hoped his family didn't react too poorly when he told them he didn't plan on ending our friendship after Hogwarts.

"Scorpius, dear?" Mum interrupted me with a light knock on the door.

"Give me a second, Mum," I replied, shrugging into actual clothes with too much ease for my liking. I was getting too used to this whole one-handed thing. "Ok, come in."

She smiled softly when she saw me already sitting up and dressed. "Happy Christmas. Your father wants to head out for the day."

I nodded, returning the greeting and telling her I'd be down soon. Of course he wanted to leave. It was already half past nine and it's not like Christmas is meant to be a day for family… He always disappeared on Christmas day early in the morning after presents, returning in time for dinner. He never told us where he went, and I'd stopped caring enough to ask. I loved my father, I just didn't understand him.

After Father headed out, Mum turned to me with a knowing look on her face. I groaned internally, wondering what she wanted to talk about now. That look was never a good thing.

"So, tell me about Rose Weasley."

I blinked. I'd expected many other topics, but not this one. "I- er- I don't really have anything to say about her…"

"Nonsense. She came to visit you in the hospital wing and I know we interrupted something. What's going on there?"

"Nothing, Mum." It was the truth, after all. There was nothing going on. I'd been foolish enough to somehow allow myself to open up to her for whatever reason but I wouldn't make that mistake again. Scorpius Malfoy didn't do feelings, especially not for Weasleys. I don't even know how it happened. I just know that one day I looked at her and I didn't see Al's cousin anymore, but someone I understood, and who understood me. She became one of the rare people I let see the real me, not the Malfoy side or the arrogant façade.

My mother raised an eyebrow at me doubtfully.

"Really. Why are we even having this conversation right now?" I asked, uncomfortable.

She shrugged. "I just want to make sure you're happy. You sounded it in your letters until right before your accident. I just wondered if that had something to do with Rose."

I shook my head, even though I doubted the honesty of that particular answer. Admittedly, I had been happier when Rose and I were friends, but I'd ruined it. I should have just left well enough alone and gone back to being her friend when she'd first suggested it. I missed being able to talk and laugh with her, and her apology before the break actually included the words "I'm sorry". Maybe it wasn't too late to go back to being friends, even if I had no idea how to do that anymore. Maybe I never really did, because I was starting to think I'd always felt something more than friendship for her during our brief attempt at it. I'm not sure what it was, but something drew me to her and I couldn't control it.

Wow. Al was _really_ turning me into a sap.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, I'll leave it there. Not a whole lot happened, but some inner-psyche was revealed. What did you think? Did I do Scorpius justice? Should I keep up with including his point of view sometimes? Also, Rose seems to think there's more going on with Al than him just wanting food. Do you agree? If so, what do you think is going on with him? Or do you think he's just a hungry teenaged boy?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Ok, so here's the next chapter. Yes, Rose and Scorpius will be speaking in this chapter! No, it will not just be them fighting some more. This goes back to Rose's point of view, and I thank those of you who let me know what you thought of adding Scorpius's point-of-view. I wasn't sure if it would work or not so your comments definitely helped! There is a fair bit of filler-y type stuff in this chapter, just because it felt too sudden and rushed without at least SOME build-up.**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

I boarded the train to return to Hogwarts a bit apprehensively. Half of my final year was over, and the second half was beginning. I only had half a year left. I knew it was cliché to have all of these moments of realization, but they just wouldn't stop. I was excited to start my real life, but at the same time I couldn't fathom growing up.

I waved to my parents out the window, glad that they were smiling back at me. I'd escaped the monotony of a career in Muggle Relations over the break without upsetting them too badly.

"_Ok, well, er, um…" I stuttered around the subject for almost half a minute while my parents stared at me._

_Finally, Dad saved me from my stuttering. Or, at least that's what I thought. "Are you pregnant?"_

_I blinked, trying to understand what he'd just said to me. "What?!"_

_He shrugged. "Your face looks like bad news. That's the worst news I can possibly imagine at this point."_

_I shook my head in disbelief as Mum hit him on the arm. Suddenly, telling him all his expectations for me were about to be destroyed didn't seem as big a deal. "No, Dad, I'm not pregnant. I just don't like Muggle Relations."_

_The shock I saw on their faces was expected, so it didn't surprise me. _

"_Well, then we'll help you look into other Ministry departments, dear," Mum said kindly, smiling. _

_Her ease of acceptance was quite _un_expected. "I'm… Well, I'm not sure I want to work in the Ministry."_

"_Why on earth not? The Ministry's the most stable place to find work. It's so diverse I'm sure you'll find something that interests you there," Dad chimed in. It was clear he couldn't see me working anywhere else. He definitely wasn't going to like my new idea._

"_I don't want to sit behind a desk all day. I want to _do_ something. I've been-" I paused, about to let loose the one secret I had from my parents. "I've been taking Alchemy classes. I want to pursue that."_

"_Since when?" Mum asked, genuinely surprised. _

"_I started in sixth year. I wanted to try it out, and I liked it," I replied, wringing my hands nervously._

"_But what can you do with Alchemy? What kind of career is that going to get you?" Dad demanded._

"_Well, I've mentioned it to Professor Longbottom and he gave me some brochures on my options…"_

"_But it's not very stable, is it? It won't get you what a job in the Ministry will."_

"_Yeah, but it's not about stability, Dad."_

"_How is it not about stability? I want you to be taken care of," he told me. Mum put her hand on his arm to stop him, but he ploughed through. "I want you to have a job worthy of you."_

"_Don't you also want me to be happy?" I snapped._

"_Of course we do, dear," Mum cut in gently, "Any job that makes you happy is worthy of you. Your dad just wants to be sure you'll be ok financially."_

"_I'll be fine. I want to do something that makes me happy."_

"_Ok, then Alchemy it is," Mum said, smiling. Dad nodded along with her after a jab to his ribs from her elbow._

_I stood staring at them in shock. "That's it? You aren't angry? You aren't disappointed?"_

_They shook their heads, though I could see a hint of apprehension in their eyes. It was probably just the surprise of my announcement, so I let it go, wanting to believe their support to be genuine._

"_Wow. Ok. After all that Scorpius was right."_

"_Wait. Scorpius? As in Malfoy?" Dad's head snapped back to me._

"_Do you know another Scorpius?" I replied._

"_Rose don't talk to your father like that," Mum scolded, as Dad said, "I knew he was filling your head with-"_

"_Scorpius is nothing to do with this, Dad. He just told me to go for what I want, regardless of what people thought."_

At least it was all sorted now. My parents accepted my desire to pursue Alchemy much more easily than I'd expected. At least to my face. When they were alone, though, they revealed their true reservations.

_I was heading down to get a glass of water, but paused outside the kitchen door at the sound of my parents' voices._

"_We don't have to understand it, Ron, we just have to accept and support it."_

"_I just don't want her to look back years from now and regret following this… impulse. You realize that's all this is, right 'Mione? Some impulse put in her head by that Malfoy boy."_

"_I don't think it is, Ron. I think this is her, following her passion. That _is_ what we've always told her to do."_

_Dad grumbled unintelligible noises as my heart dropped. This was what he really thought? That Alchemy was just some passing fancy that was going to implode on me?_

"_Ron, what is this really about? Is this about your own regrets?"_

_Mum's question was met by silence._

"_Ron, you told me you wanted to run the joke shop with George. You told me you wanted to leave the Aurors, but I know you miss it."_

"_I don't regret that I chose a safer job with better hours. We were starting a family."_

"_But that doesn't mean you can't miss it."_

"_I- well, I love the joke shop. I like the light, happy, carefree work. It's a far sight better than how I spent my teenaged years. Do I miss the Auror Department? Yes. That doesn't mean this wasn't the right decision. I don't want her to regret following her heart when it doesn't work out in a few years."_

"_Who's to say it won't?" Mum challenged. I could almost see the crossed arms and raised eyebrow I was sure she was sporting. "She wants to try it, and she's an adult. We can't forbid her from following her passion."_

"_C'mon 'Mione, you have to know this isn't realistic. There aren't many successful Alchemists in the world."_

"_Well, who are you to tell her not to try. You've spent her entire life telling her she can do anything she wants. You can't take it back just because you don't like the choice she's made."_

_I heard Dad's sigh but couldn't stomach overhearing anymore of their conversation. I backed away from the door without a sound, hearing the continued murmur coming from the kitchen but no longer caring. _

I'd worried about my parents' reactions, and it seems I was right to. Even though they appeared supportive, they clearly had reservations. Never once had my mother said she believed I could make it; she only told Dad that they had to let me she also expecting me to fail? Was she merely playing the other side of the argument to force both of them to see reason, or was she trying to gently nudge him in the direction she wanted him to take?

"Have a good holiday?" A voice behind me asked, startling me.

"Er, yes. Did you?" I replied, turning to see Scorpius behind me.

"It was ok. I missed the snow, though. Didn't really feel like Christmas without it."

"At least you got some peace and quiet. I could barely hear myself think the entire holiday."

He smiled somewhat wistfully, "I'd rather have that some days. Silence gets lonely after a while."

"Well I'll have to take your word for it," I replied, grinning. I couldn't help wondering, though, what brought about the sudden change. We left for Christmas break barely speaking, yet here we were on the train back having a normal conversation. "So… are we… is this…?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets almost nervously. "I reckon we could try to whole friends thing for real. I missed talking to you, too."

I smiled gratefully, feeling suddenly lighter. "Good."

"That, and you actually said the words 'I'm sorry' this time. Quite an improvement."

I rolled my eyes and shoved his shoulder before heading down the train. It was strange how suddenly we could joke around and talk normally. Maybe it was all just an act on his part, but I was going to take full advantage of it if it was. Something told me he was being genuine, though. Perhaps he was just staying angry out of principle and stubbornness before. It's what I did, and we'd proven ourselves to be pretty similar. I'd probably imagined any connection beyond friendship between us anyway.

The sight of the two of us entering the compartment brought wary glances from the occupants.

"So do we need to cast a shield charm between you two or are you going to behave?" Al asked.

"Relax, it's all sorted," I told my cousin, laughing as his face showed his obvious relief.

"Brilliant! I don't think I could take another second of you two fighting. Somehow it's worse when the two of you completely ignore each other. Either of you want to tell me what went wrong, then?"

I caught Scorpius's eye across the compartment briefly before shaking my head. "It's not important."

"Nope, not at all," he echoed, as Emily glanced between us with a slightly worried expression.

* * *

"So, you guys are trying the whole 'friend' thing again, huh?" Emily asked two days later as we sat in the Gryffindor common room.

I shrugged, "Yeah, he said he wanted to so we'll see how it goes. I don't know, maybe it was all in my head that there could have been more to it."

"Well, I would say kissing twice kind of negates that thought."

I sighed loudly. "I don't know what to think! I just want it to go back to the way it was."

"You know, that's exactly how I felt after James first kissed me. It completely complicated the friendship we'd built and I didn't want to deal with the fallout."

"Or maybe you just feared commitment. But look at you now! You're even _in love_ with him," I teased, grinning widely.

"Maybe you should take your own advice."

"I'm not sure I need to. It was probably just a passing phase. We got really close really fast, and now it's time to take a step back and actually be friends."

"I think you're kidding yourself. You're in total denial, once again. You remind me a lot of me, you know," she told me, grinning as she added another sentence to her Herbology essay.

"Fine. I'll prove we're different. When was the first moment you realized you and James were more than friends?"

"Well, it was shoved in my face when he kissed me," I shot her a look, "But looking back I think I always had a bit of an attraction. You know, I thought he was good looking, but who doesn't? Besides his cousins, of course. Once he started talking to me, and I mean actually talking to me about real things, that's when I think I started to fall. He just seemed to drop all of the acts after a while and I liked that. He was just James with me, not a Potter or a player. He genuinely wanted to know me, and wanted me to know him. So, it was probably after our first real conversation that I started to like him as more, and I think I realized it after the first time he told me that he'd never been able to be this honest with someone before. I felt truly connected to him, you know? Like I understood him, and he understood me."

I nodded without really thinking about it. I felt like I understood Scorpius, and he understood me. The first time I'd realized that, I'd kissed him on impulse. Maybe Emily was right… But no, I wasn't going to screw it up again when I'd just gotten back to being his friend. He was too important to me.

"What are we talking about?" Dom asked, sitting down beside me.

"The love story of Emily and James," I replied, laughing.

"One of my all-time favourites!" Dom exclaimed, clapping her hands. "I bet you like having him closer."

Emily nodded, smiling happily. James announced he had a surprise for us at Christmas dinner. Apparently, he and Fred had finished their training and had been given the go ahead to start up the Hogsmeade location, meaning the pair had relocated to the village. It also meant Emily could sneak out to see him, or just do it properly on Hogsmeade trips. I was also secretly glad they were closer. It was weird, not having James, Fred, and Roxanne in Hogwarts anymore. While I wasn't as close to Fred and Roxanne as I was to James, it still felt strange not seeing them in the common room. I would never admit it out loud, but I actually missed them. Perhaps having James and Fred a little closer would ease some of that.

"Ok, I'm officially done for," Al sighed, heaving himself into the chair beside Dom.

"What? Why?" I asked, frowning at my defeated cousin. He sat in his Quidditch robes, covered in mud and looking as though he were about to leap out the window.

"O'Connor flew into the goal post trying to stop the Quaffle today. He's going to be out for a week, at least, and we can't afford to lose that many practices. We were actually getting fairly decent, too."

I looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Al. Anything we can do?"

He started to shake his head before a thought seemed to come to him. His eyes lit up as he looked at me, and I knew exactly what he was thinking. "Actually, Rose-"

"No."

His face fell. "You didn't even let me ask!"

"I already know what you were going to ask."

"Oh, really. What was I going to ask?" He countered childishly. We always seemed to have this argument when I interrupted him asking me a question.

"You were going to ask me to stand in for him at practices. And the answer is no."

"Please! Please, Rose! I will do anything!"

"No way. I have way too much to do."

"What are you talking about? Scor finds time for Quidditch and he's just as busy as you are!"

"Well maybe that's why I'm first and he's not," I shot back, grinning.

"Rose, it's just a couple of practices. Two or three hours of your time." He was pouting now. Oh, Merlin, he knew I couldn't resist his pouty face.

"No, no, no. I'm leaving."

"Way to go, Al, you chased her away," Dom scolded as I retreated to the portrait hole.

I didn't get very far, as I heard footsteps following me and turned to find Al chasing me down the corridor. I sighed in exasperation, "No!"

"Why not? And don't tell me it's because you don't have time."

"Fine, I could probably spare you the time, but I don't want to. I like flying fine, but you know how I feel about Quidditch."

"This wouldn't even be a real game, Rosie. Just a couple of practices. Just until O'Connor gets right."

I could feel myself caving as we entered the Heads' dormitory. His stupid puppy dog face sealed it. "Fine. Fine. I'll stand in for O'Connor in _practices_. If he isn't right by the game you're on your own."

"Wait, what's this? You need someone to stand in for O'Connor and you asked _Rose_?" Scorpius asked incredulously. I hadn't realized he was there. "Can you even fly?"

I laughed, "Believe it or not, yes."

"She can more than fly," Al cut in, heading over and flopping down next to his best friend, "She's a great Keeper but refused to go out for the team."

"Why?" Scorpius asked, frowning at me.

I shrugged, "I just don't see the point. I don't feel as strongly about it as you or Al, and I hated all the organization that went into it, especially when we played back home. So much chaos. The only reason I even played at first was because no one else in the family wanted to play Keeper and they needed someone to hurl balls at."

"Well. You just keep surprising me, Weasley."

"Stay tuned, I'm sure there's more where that came from," I told him cheekily, adding to Al, "Clean yourself up, you're covered in mud. And I guess get me a set of practice robes and tell me when to be at the pitch."

"Thanks a million, Rosie! You're a life saver!" He cheered as I headed up to my room.

"Don't call me that!" I yelled back.

* * *

Al was right; the Quidditch team was definitely looking up. Despite my reservations, I actually had fun practicing with them. It wasn't something I wanted on a regular basis, but it was a nice change from the monotony of homework.

"So I see you haven't managed to fall off your broom yet. Always a good sign," Scorpius mused as I entered the dormitory.

"Hah. Very funny."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to end up like me," he explained, gesturing to his bandaged hand.

"At least the cast is gone. How long do you need the bandages for?"

"Another few days. Then we'll see how much mobility I have in it. My reflexes will be a bit off for a while since I haven't been using it."

A fresh wave of guilt hit me. This was essentially my fault.

"Stop feeling guilty," he told me, reading my mind, "You didn't force him to do it."

I took a deep breath. "You're right. At least he was banned for the remainder of the season."

"At least we won the match."

"Against all odds," I snorted. "That was a truly painful match to watch."

"Thanks for your support," he responded sarcastically.

I sent him a sickly sweet smile as he glanced at the clock.

"I'm going to head out," he told me, gathering his books as he stood, "I'm meeting Rhea Donahue to start revising for exams."

For some reason, this information bothered me. It must be because he's starting to revise before me. "Already? Wow, and you say _I'm_ the keener."

He shrugged. I got the sense he wasn't being completely honest about the true purpose behind meeting Rhea, which only served to annoy me more. What was wrong with me? I'd decided to be his friend so why did I feel… jealous? No, it couldn't be. Rose Weasley didn't get jealous.

* * *

I tried to start my own revising while I waited for Scorpius to return but my focus was completely off. Eventually I admitted defeat and headed out to Gryffindor Tower to engage in some good old procrastination. Imagine my great pleasure when procrastinating turned into Al trying to convince me to go to yet another party.

"Why is there always a party?" I moaned, dropping my head into my hands.

"It's more of a 'welcome back from break' kind of thing," my cousin hedged, "And there isn't _always_ a party. Just most weekend nights."

I couldn't stop myself from laughing in exasperation at that one. "We've already been back for two weeks! You can't call this a 'welcome back' thing anymore. But you know what? Why not. I've given up on work for the day anyways."

Al looked completely shocked by the ease of my acceptance, but didn't waste time questioning it. Instead, he tried to enlist me to join in on his alcohol run. That, I wasn't so persuadable to.

"Oh, come on, Rosie! I need someone to help and Scor's…" he trailed off, thinking better of whatever he was going to say and rephrasing, "not available."

"Do you realize the kind of trouble we could get in if we're caught? I'm Head Girl, Al! I can't get caught smuggling alcohol into the school!"

"We won't get caught. I promise!"

"He's actually very good at it. If being an Auror doesn't work out, he definitely has a shot at making it as a smuggler," Dom's voice chimed in from behind me. "It'll be fun, Rose. We can see James and Fred?" She tried, looking at me eagerly. That look on any Weasley's face was never a good thing, and being a Weasley yourself didn't make you immune, unfortunately. So, I ended up in the Hogsmeade location of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes an hour later, trying to contain my anxiety at the situation.

"Wow, they actually got sweet little Rosie to break the rules?" James asked, grinning wickedly at me.

"Shut it," I snapped at him, turning to survey the store. Al and Dom left me with James while they went to 'secure the product' as Al put it. "It looks pretty decent in here, you know."

James nodded, leaning on the counter. "We'll be ready to open before next Hogsmeade weekend. I expect to see all your shining faces here to celebrate."

"If we don't get caught and banned today."

"You worry too much. Al's a pro. He learned from the best," he told me, winking.

"That does not make me feel any better."

* * *

James was right; we had nothing to worry about. It was weird, seeing Al as the one who got the alcohol now that James and Fred were gone. I suppose that would have to change soon, too, since we were leaving.

"Remind me to bring Hugo along next trip," Al mused as we headed back to the common room.

This caught my attention, "What? Why?"

"Someone has to carry on the legacy."

"But why does it have to be my brother?"

He shrugged, "I'll bring Lily, too. It really is a two person job."

I just shook my head, knowing that it would be pointless to argue.

"What exactly are you three up to?"

The three of us whirled at the voice of Professor Chang. I'm sure my face reflected my guilt, even if Al and Dom remained expressionless. Imagine our surprise to find the very opposite of Professor Chang behind us.

"Scor?" Al asked, completely confused. "How in the name of Merlin…?"

I felt the anxiety drop out of me as the fact that it wasn't a teacher come to bust us sunk in. Not that we were really doing anything wrong at the moment. We'd already ditched the alcohol in the Room of Requirement.

He doubled over in laughter as he explained, "I was practicing transfiguring my voice. You should have seen Rose's face. Priceless!"

I scowled, crossing my arms, "Scorpius, that was _not_ funny."

He just kept laughing as the four of us made our way down the corridor. Dom abandoned us first, claiming a need to start sorting through her clothing for tonight, with Al following suit by explaining his plans to meet Emily to go over their homework assignment from Care of Magical Creatures.

"Merlin, I hate that class," Al groaned as he started off.

"Then why do you keep taking it?" I asked, puzzled. I always got the impression he rather enjoyed it.

His cheeks tinted faintly pink as he replied, "Easy 'A'," and scampered off.

I shook my head after him. "I will never understand that logic."

"What logic?" Scorpius replied.

"Taking a class just for the easy grade. I want a challenge."

"Which is why you're very narrowly top of the class, and Al is… not," he replied. I rolled my eyes at the 'very narrowly' comment.

"And don't you forget it!" We walked in silence for a bit before curiosity got the better of me. "So… are you going to the party with Rhea?"

I felt him give me a sidelong glance as we turned a corner. "I might see her there, but it's not an official plan or anything. Why?"

I shrugged, trying to remain casual. "Just a question."

"Would it, er, bother you if I was?" He asked tentatively.

"No, no, not at all," I replied, probably too quickly. "You're at perfect liberty to take whomever you like."

He nodded, clenching his jaw briefly before obviously deciding whatever he wanted to say wasn't important enough to give voice to. I'm sure I wouldn't have wanted to hear it anyways.

* * *

For some reason, I felt the need to seek out Dom and have her ready me for the party. I hadn't willingly asked her to make me up since last year, and she was ecstatic. She danced around her dormitory, giggling and singing off-key as Em and I laughed at her. I realized I missed the three of us just hanging out together like this. It felt like it had been so long since we'd gotten to just be us, what with James, Adrian, Dom's numerous male 'friends', my Head Girl duties, and all the stupid Scorpius drama. Factor in the approaching NEWTs and I wasn't sure when we'd get this chance again.

"What are you guys doing after Hogwarts flat-wise?" I asked suddenly. Both girls looked at me in alarm. "Sorry, it's just… Well, obviously I won't be shacking up with Adrian…"

"And we thank the almighty Merlin for that every day," Dom sang, turning back to her closet and throwing a shirt at me. I wrinkled my nose and tossed it to Emily.

"I swear you didn't hate him this much last year."

"I didn't. I liked him up until he decided he wanted to break up with you for no reason," she replied, throwing another shirt. This one I placed in the very small pile beside me. It wasn't half bad. Then, reading my mind, threw me a look over her shoulder, "Don't even try to argue. You know there was no _real_ reason for that."

"Ok, let's just move on," Emily prodded firmly.

"Right, what was the question?" Dom asked, turning back to her wardrobe.

"Where we were living after school," Em supplied, holding a shirt up in front of her.

"I hadn't really thought of it, to be honest. I just assumed we'd find a place together."

I breathed a sigh of relief as Emily nodded in agreement. At least I had one thing sorted out.

* * *

"Whoa. Why are you letting my hard work go to waste?" Dom asked loudly as she came up to stand beside me.

"What do you mean?" I asked in alarm.

"Your face. It's all… frowny!"

I snorted, "Sorry. I didn't realize I was being 'frowny'."

"Well, you are. Why so glum, chum?"

I snorted again. "I don't know. I guess this just isn't as fun as I wanted it to be."

"Well, let's fix that! C'mon! Ben, Al, and Gage are over there," she told me, grabbing my hand and leading me away. I tossed one more look at Scorpius and Rhea in the corner talking before following her.

Eventually, I started to feel more relaxed as a buzz worked its way through my blood. I stopped caring about the slightly-lower-than-I-was-comfortable-with cut of the shirt I'd settled on from Dom's closet, and started laughing more freely. I spotted Adrian by the drinks table sulking and felt even happier, though I knew how petty that was. I tried to stop my brain from trailing back to what was happening in the corner, especially since I wasn't sure why it kept trying to go there. I shouldn't care that my _friend_ was sitting across the room talking to Rhea Donahue. Or perhaps they were past talking by now.

One by one, our group started to disperse, as Gage ventured off to talk to some Slytherin sixth year and Dom flitted from group to group. Ben headed off when he spotted his new girlfriend, and I eventually drifted to get another drink when Al and Emily started talking more to each other than they were to me.

"Having fun?" Scorpius's voice asked behind me.

I shrugged, "I suppose so. Probably not as much as you, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that you and Rhea look pretty cozy over there."

"I thought I was at perfect liberty to talk to whomever I liked?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"You are."

"Then why the third degree?"

I felt my face grow hot. "It's not… I'm not…"

"Yes, you are, Rose. My only question is why?"

"I just… I don't want you to go back to just snogging girls to snog them. You deserve more than that."

"Who says that's what I was doing? Maybe I really like Rhea."

"I… I'm just concerned for you." I felt my stomach twist. Why couldn't I just think before I spoke around him?

"No, you're acting like a jealous girlfriend and disguising it as a concerned friend. You can't have both, so pick one! What do you want?!"

"YOU!" I shouted without thinking. "I want… you."

* * *

**A/N: Ok, and that would be the end of this chapter. I know there was a lot of unnecessary filler stuff but I didn't want to force it too much. Though I'm sure it was still rushed, but I figured after 15 chapters it was definitely time to stop jerking it around. Please don't be too mad at the whole Ron/Hermione reaction to the Alchemy thing. Remember, we're only getting Rose's side of that conversation, and she left before it was over. Like in His Only Daughter, I see Ron more as just saying the wrong things at the wrong times than actually outright disagreeing, so I see this more as him worried for his daughter wanting to pursue an unstable career than him not supporting her. She just interprets it as him not supporting her.**


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